Friendship Part V: A Friend Who Sticks

This is the final part of a five-article series that I have been writing. Let’s turn back and take a look at what we’ve looked at thus far. We’ve looked at Job’s four friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu), David and Jonathan, and then in the past two parts we’ve outlined a perfect (or “good”) friend. For this final segment, we are going to look at several different verses, but first, open your Bible to Proverbs 18:24, which says, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother…” Can you guess, based on the previous article, who this is about? If you guessed Jesus, YOU ARE CORRECT!

            Now, I realize that in today’s culture, sticking closer than a brother may not mean much, since siblings in the world today normally have bad feelings towards each other. In Bible times though, a brother was usually one of the people that you were closest to, and many times he was your best friend (excluding Jacob and Esau and Joseph’s brothers). I have a good relationship with my brother, despite the usual fights, and it’s hard to imagine someone knowing me better than my brother. Or, look at it this way, does anyone know you and love you better than your dad?

            Get ready for a news flash! God loves you more than anyone is capable of loving you, and He knows you better than you know you! Nothing you have done or ever will do can change the deep love that God has for you. If He was willing to send his only Son to be killed just so that you could come to heaven with him, then that should prove (like it need to be proven) that God loves you. Most people know the verse John 3:16, which starts off, “For God so loved the world…” God loved the world when He created it, and He loves the world right now. Just for clarification, when I say “the world” I do not mean the current culture, or the literal earth (rocks, animals, trees, grass, etc.), but I mean the people of His creation, whom He made in His own image.

            Think about this: You cannot possibly do anything to make God love you less. God’s love is perfect and complete. A song entitled “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” comes to mind when I think about the love of God, and if you have not heard that song, I encourage you to listen to it. The Father’s love for us is truly vast beyond all measure. God is always there for you, He’s never going to say, “Ah, that’s Christian yapping on again, I’ve just gotta go solve world peace, so he can deal.” No! He will listen and love you; His love is perfect and unconditional.