A Friend who Sticks Closer than a Brother
"A man of many companions may come to ruin but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). You can have all the friends in the world but if you don’t have one specific friend you will still be empty, lonely and dissatisfied. There is one friend that will never leave us nor forsake us. He sticks closer than a brother. Who is this amazing friend? Jesus Christ.
Most people have a skewed view of who Jesus is. They fail to see Jesus as a true friend that wants to be your best friend. Did you know that Jesus wants to laugh with you? He wants to have fun with you, cry with you, get excited with you. Jesus is not some emotionless being. He wants to go deep with you emotionally, to struggle with you, walk with you, fight alongside you. He wants you to experience exceeding joy being in his presence, just spending time with you. He wants to converse with you, communicate at a deep level with you. Jesus longs to be your best friend. I believe one of the reasons God gave us friends was so that we could understand the love that Jesus has towards us that comes from his friendship with us.
One of my favorite movie scenes is in "Lord of the Rings" where Frodo and Sam are at the crux of their journey for destroying the ring. Frodo is lying on the mountainside overwhelmed by the burden of the ring. He tells his friend Sam, "I can't go any longer Sam, I can't make it. Leave me here, go back…" Sam looks Frodo in the eye, "Mr. Frodo, I will never leave you! I may not be able to carry your burden Mr. Frodo but I can sure carry you!" Sam then picks Frodo up and places him on his shoulders and marches up the mountain.
Why is this portrayal of friendship so powerful? I believe this is so because it shows us a love that only can come through friendship. Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Sam laid down his life for Frodo. This love is almost overwhelming it is so powerful. There is no greater love!
This kind of love which can only be found in friendships is the love Jesus wants to show us through our friendship with Him. In fact, Jesus wants this so much that he did so…He laid down his life. He climbed up the mountain because He knew we wouldn't make it unless he laid down his life for us! He saw that we were in trouble and he loved us so much that he died for us! Praise God! What an incredible Friend! How could we ever mock him by not living for Him? There really is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. His name is Jesus
