The Alpha of Friendship

UV3034/10000 The Alpha of Friendship
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God
James 2 v 23

In the beginning, God related to the first man as a person with his friend. Since Adam disbelieved the words of God and believed the words of the enemy of our souls, his friendship or relationship with God was disrupted. Since Abraham believed the words of God, he was counted righteous and he became the Friend of God. The seed of Abraham or the descendants of Abraham who continued in his faith were also deemed Friends of God. Jesus came to make all people Friends of God. The first aspect of friendship is that friends know each other’s names. They know each other’s interests, character, habits, tastes, desires, strengths and weaknesses. Jesus knows our names, our character, our interests, our desires, our strengths and weaknesses. Unlike all other friends, He knows our deepest secrets and thoughts. He knows our worries, concerns, challenges, difficulties and problems. He does not remain a mute spectator but He helps us in all aspects of our lives. Thanks to Jesus, Jehovah calls us His friends even as He called Abraham. We are called into a deep and intimate personal relationship


The book of Proverbs states that a friend sticks closer than a brother. Jesus likewise sticks closer to us than our own uterine brothers or sisters. He is closer to us literally than our own skin. His presence with us is not a figment of imagination but is real and true. He is not visible but He does manifest in real ways His friendship and love for us. He not only bore ours sins but also our curses and our sorrows. He told His disciples that He did not treat them as servants or lesser beings but as friends or equal beings. He therefore told them all that the Father had told Him. He disclosed all the secrets of the kingdom of God. As a friend, He desires our well being.

As a friend, Jesus teaches us, encourages, comforts, strengthens us from within, gives us gifts, gives us company. Recently, the UK has appointed the first ever Minister for Loneliness to find ways to help lonely youth as well as older people cope with their current loneliness. But whatever she can devise will be poor substitutes for the friendship of Jesus. Human loneliness is a disease that comes from the absence of friendship with God. To communicate with God is a human need. To get counsel from God is a human need. To seek and find comfort and help with God is a human need. The continual fellowship with Jesus does not give any room for any sense of loneliness for the believer even when he or she is deserted or widowed by all human kith and kin. It is clear that even the very best of our friends in life are only second best to Jesus who is everyone's Best Friend. All our relationships should be modelled on our friendship with Jesus. We need to be as forgiving and as loving as Him in our friendship with other people.