{"id":47241,"date":"2024-01-16T15:15:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T21:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?p=47241"},"modified":"2024-01-16T15:22:12","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T21:22:12","slug":"friendship-is-gods-gift-a-reflection-of-christs-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2024\/01\/16\/friendship-is-gods-gift-a-reflection-of-christs-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Friendship is God\u2019s gift, a reflection of Christ\u2019s love"},"content":{"rendered":"

A peace lily sitting near a large window in my family\u2019s living room surprised us this winter by sending up not only one or two, but six new, pure white blooms. It\u2019s a beautiful plant, which we received a couple of years ago after a family member\u2019s funeral and graveside service.<\/span><\/p>\n

This peace lily is quite meaningful for us, a daily reminder of a beloved family member who has gone ahead of us to heaven. But it\u2019s even more meaningful because it was a gift from some friends who \u2013 as far as we knew \u2013 didn\u2019t know the time or location of the funeral. Without saying a word, and asking nothing in return, these friends had taken initiative to hunt down this information and send these flowers as a memorial gift. Few things in life have made me more grateful for God\u2019s gift of friendship.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the last few years of his life, former Pathway<\/i> editor Don Hinkle often shared with me how much he appreciated his friends. He encouraged me to cultivate friendship with as many people as possible. I\u2019m grateful for his wise counsel.<\/span><\/p>\n

With every passing year, I become more convinced about some truths on frienship expressed by the ancient Roman statesman and philosopher, Cicero: \u201cFriendship,\u201d he wrote, \u201cimproves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.\u201d And again: \u201cWithout friendship life is no life at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As exemplified by these sayings from Cicero, friendship has been the focus of sages and storytellers through the ages. Consider these few examples:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote, \u201cWithout friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cLittle friends may prove great friends,\u201d Aesop quipped, summarizing the moral to his fable of the \u201cLion and the Mouse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 George Washington advised, \u201cTrue friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cThe better part of one\u2019s life,\u201d Abraham Lincoln said, \u201cconsists of his friendships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 C.S. Lewis wrote, \u201cFriendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Finally Shel Silverstein opined: \u201cHow much good inside a day? Depends how good you live \u2018em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give \u2018em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, some the of the best books on the market depict the value of true friendship \u2013 to name only a few, E.B. White\u2019s Charlotte\u2019s Web<\/i>, Kenneth Grahame\u2019s The Wind in the Willows<\/i> and J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s The Lord of the Rings<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, of course, Scripture itself has much to say about friendship. In the Old Testament, Proverbs says, \u201cA man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother\u201d (Prov 18:24 ESV). Later, it adds, \u201cOil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel\u201d (Prov 27:9 ESV). In 1 Samuel 18, moreover, we see loyal and sacrificial friendship on display for us in the faithful companionship of David and Jonathan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most importantly, Christ Jesus Himself has honored us with His friendship. As one hymn writer has declared, \u201cWhat a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In John 15:12-16 (NKJV), Jesus told His disciples, \u201c… [L]ove one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one\u2019s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you ….\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In these few sentences, Jesus showed us the extent of His love for us since he indeed chose us to be His friends and, ultimately, since He laid down his life for us. Likewise, in the same few sentences, He teaches us to love and lay down our lives for our friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been said truly that \u201cthe best mirror is an old friend.\u201d I\u2019ve been most humbled and blessed, however, when my friends reflect not my own image, but when they reflect Christ\u2019s image of loving and sacrificial friendship \u2013 not only in their kindness toward me, but also toward others. Often, such a display of undeserved kindness comes without fanfare. Instead, such an act comes in a simple, quiet, yet beautiful, guise \u2013 like the gift of peace lilies that have graced my home for the past two years.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With every passing year, I become more convinced about some truths on frienship expressed by the ancient Roman statesman and philosopher, Cicero: \u201cFriendship,\u201d he wrote, \u201cimproves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.\u201d And again: \u201cWithout friendship life is no life at all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":43892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[38,5,8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nFriendship is God\u2019s gift, a reflection of Christ\u2019s love<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With every passing year, I become more convinced about some truths on 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