A Friend Worth Dying For

Words don't describe how thankful I am for the people God has put into my life. Friendship is such a powerful and special thing. I hope that in this world of Facebook and party life that we don't forsake our friends for petty self pleasures that render us empty. In a world that is infatuated with itself we find friendship much more rare. Indeed it is as precious as rubies.

A friend will follow you into the darkest places. A friend will confront even the most sensitive matters with encouragement but also conviction. A friend will be there even when they don't want to be anymore because they know how vital it is to stick together. They pray fervently for their friend even if they don't believe there is a God to hear them. Friends sharpen each other, as iron sharpens iron, even when it hurts like nothing else. A friend is willing be crucified for his brother.

These qualities are hard to meet aren't they? Yet if you have had a true friend then you have most likely felt, at some point, this kind of passion. Maybe not for a friend but a spouse, family member, or child. Being a friend isn't about any sort of comfort or selfishness. No! It is about a real and active, selfless relationship. Read 1 Samuel 20 for a biblical example.

My brothers Nathan, Matt, and Ryan are a few I think of that I think of that are like this for me. We have gone through trenches together. I have carried them and they have carried me. Even now as we are scattered across the world we are there for each other. I cannot thank God enough for giving me these brothers that I know will continue to be my friends as long as I live. They are the people I can go to when the rest of the world seems to come crashing down. When I screw up or fall down, they are there to help lift me up. They are able to this because they trust in the Holy Spirit which gives them the ability to love sacrificially as Jesus did. That is a peculiar thing about humans, our ability to be selfless. Though we don't use it as often as we are commanded, it is a beautiful thing. 

I know that if I were to storm the gates of hell tomorrow that my brothers would follow me there. For that I am blessed, and I praise God that the victory is already ours through Christ Jesus. I couldn't ask for anything more and I won't. All I need is right here. And though I cannot count on my friends strength alone, I can trust in my faithful Lord that did take the bullet for me. I can try to praise him somehow and to do that I can attempt to share that faithfulness with those around me as God has called us all to do.