THE TRUEST FRIEND

I Was Just Thinking About – THE TRUEST FRIEND.

Blogs are better stated briefly and succinctly. Following that guideline allows that not all thoughts get added in one Blog. My follow-up thoughts on Friendship include: Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) – “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Who is that Friend who sticks closed than a brother? John 15:12-17 (ESV) reminds us that Jesus Christ has chosen those with whom He has shared heavenly truths and who are to be His fruitful friends who represent Him in this world.

In 1910, J. Wilbur Chapman wrote the Hymn:

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!

Jesus! Lover of my soul;

Friends may fail me, foes assail me,

He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Jesus! what a strength in weakness!

Let me hide myself in Him.

Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,

He, my strength, my victory wins.

Refrain

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Hallelujah! what a friend!

Saving, helping, keeping, loving,

He is with me to the end.

In 1855, Joseph Scrivener wrote the words to oft sung Hymn:

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

In 1895, Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote the words to: No, Not One. The second stanza reminds us:

No friend like Him is so high and holy,

No, not one! No, not one!

And yet no friend is so meek and lowly,

No, not one! No, not one!

Refrain –

Jesus knows all about our struggles,

He will guide till the day is done;

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,

No, not one! No, not one!

Human friendships can often-times be fickle. Our friend Jesus is never fickle and is always dependable and caring. I am fascinated by the words of II Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” Think about that in terms of His friendship toward us and our response to Him. My heart is touched and moved by the words of a Hymn - Does Jesus Care? The Refrain echoes down to us:

Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,

His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Savior cares.

Be assured that Jesus Christ is your faithful friend and He will always care about and for you. Prayerfully – consider these things with me.