who is your ride or die!

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. – Proverbs 17:17

Across the years you have probably had a number of friends. Early on, you rode bicycles or skateboarded with them; as teens, you shared secrets or competed in sports together; as young adults, there was recipe or tool sharing, with tips on child-rearing tossed in. Life and its progressions bring friends of all shapes, sizes, economic positions, racial differences. A friend is a friend, and there are no qualifiers.

Jesus had multitudinous followers. He had a dozen or so close friends. And among them, he had an “inner circle” of those with whom He was truly close… Peter, James, and John. Just as it was important for Jesus to have friends, it is equally important that you have them, companions with whom you share your Christian walk.

In a year when the coronavirus has put a negative impact on personal time with friends, some have found that their friendships actually deepened as they engaged in telephone calls, text messaging, and Zoom technologies. Being a friend is not only an honor, it is a responsibility. Friendships need tending to. Like a garden of vegetables or flowers, a friendship requires cultivation.

In John 15, Jesus calls His disciples friends. He extends that friendship to you. Just as Earthly friendships do, the one with the Lord requires attention. Spend time with the Son and the Father so, as you are built up by the Holy Spirit, you will be able to build up one another also.