Can Jesus be your best friend?
My nine-year-old daughter is currently going through the friendship stage, where she is very conscious of who a real friend is, and what the dynamics of friendship are. This got me thinking; how many of us declare that Jesus is their best friend, yet the way we interact with him suggests the opposite? I thought about how I interacted with my best friends back in the day and came up with the following thoughts.
- I loved to hang out with my best friend
I looked forward to school days so that I could get to meet my best friend and hang out with her during the day before we all went home. As I look back to those days, I wonder what made me want to hang out with her all the time! In the same way, however, anyone who calls Jesus his or her best friend should want to be with him all the time.
Are you wondering what benefits you get from being with Jesus all the time? Here is one…
Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise…” (NIV)
Walk with Jesus all the time, and you become wise, just like he is. A friend who imparts wisdom to you whenever you are together is a friend worth having!
- I always wanted to listen to what my best friend had to say
I know girls can relate to this…hanging on your friend’s words like your life depended on it…and then going home to tell your mum that your friend said this and that…and then asking for your mum’s opinion!
Hmm….how much easier this life would be if we always listened keenly to what Jesus had to say. After all, he gives direction on all things that concern us in his word. For example, check out this verse;
Psalm 119:14 “Your laws please me; they give me wise advice.” (NLT)
In addition;
Psalm 119:50 “Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.” (NLT)
If you take time to listen to Jesus, your best friend, you might just hear what he is saying to you!
- I would look forward to spending time with my best friend
Nothing beats hanging out with your best friend and talking about everything under the sun. Can you imagine how it would be if each one of us cultivated that kind of relationship with Jesus?
What did the writer of the Psalms have to say about spending time with God?
Psalm 119:97 “Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.”(NLT)
Thinking about God and his instructions (laws/commands) all day long – a real challenge there!
Psalm 27:4 “The one thing I ask of the LORD – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” (NLT)
Living in the Lord’s house, in close fellowship with him all the days of my life – isn’t that how close my friendship with the Lord should be?
- Everybody knew we were best of friends
Did you know that when best friends spend lots of time together, they begin to look alike? If you don’t believe me, look at a couple who have been married for several years.
If you spend lots of quality time with Jesus, your best friend, you will begin to act like him, and look like him! His spirit will start to work in you, transforming you into a person who reflects God’s glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18b “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (NLT)
As you spend more and more time with Jesus, you become like him, and everyone will be able to tell that you are best of friends! Consequently, many of your other friends will want to know more about your new best friend!
In conclusion, I would encourage you to cultivate a close relationship with Jesus and to make him your best friend and confidant. Trust me – you will enjoy having him as your best friend!