When you are younger you have a tendency to think that everyone that smiles in your face is your friend, but as you get older you start to realize that they were not friends but folks who were just there for the ride or associates. Thus, in our culture friends are often people that are fair weather friends at best. As long as you are doing well, have money, good health, and things are going pretty good you will always have plenty of friends. But, when things get shaky those same people do the moon-walk right out of your life like Michael Jackson without the glittery glove on his hand. And pet lovers say that a dog is man's best friend. Therefore, the term friend for us can be very confusing.
The blessed news is that amongst all of the confusion regarding what friendship really looks like and feels like there is one in your midst who is a real friend and a friend indeed. In order to qualify for His friendship you must be a sinner. You see, the Bible is very clear. You cannot be His friend unless you have some sin. Now if you have no sin this is bad news for you because you cannot be His friend with no sin. But, if you have enough sin to share with other people and still have some sin left over you have something to shout about because not only is He your friend, but He is your friend until the very end. Here's what the scripture says about it, "The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children" (St. Matthew 11:19, KJV).
If you are a sinner Jesus is your friend. However, what does it really mean to be the friend of Jesus Christ?
It means that He knows everything that there is to know about you and He still loves you. Most fake friends start off liking you. But, the more they know about you, the less they like you. This is because we are never on the outside what we really are on the inside. Everyone has deep dark secrets that they are not proud of. All of us have mistakes that we wish that we could get rid of. And everyone can look at their lives and decide to hide some parts of it because it is the part of your life that you do not want anyone to see. But, here's the news of the day. Jesus knows your deepest darkest secrets (Ps. 139:2) and He loves you anyway. He knows your worse habits and He is still there for you (Rom. 8:35). Jesus Christ is a ride or die type friend. He is not with you because you have it all together. He is with you because He is a real friend and nothing is going to change His mind about you at all (Read Proverbs 17:17).
It means that He stands with you in tough times. It is impossible to find out who your real friends are as long as the sun is shining in your life. In fact, if it has not rained in your life lately you have no idea who your real friends are. You see, a good shower doesn't only water the grass, but it gets rid of phony friends too. When you go through seasons of adversity and trouble in your life fake people walk out and real friends walk in. In fact, a real friend does not just walk in, but he will take the storm for you. Now that's a real friend. This is why as quiet as it is kept you don't have as many real friends as you think you that you do. Let's do the real friend test right quick. How many people do you think would go to jail for you if you got sentenced today to ten years in the penitentiary? How many people do you think would give you their check if you were flat broke? How many people do you think would die for you if were faced with the lethal injection at midnight tonight? Now that you are finished deleting people who you thought were friends, here's the shout of the day! There is one that not only stands in tough times with you, but He is one that would take the punishment for you just so that you do not have to be punished. Jesus is that kind of a friend. It's why the hymnologist said, "What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and grieves to bear What a privilege to carry, all our sins to God in prayer" When it rains in your life, Jesus has and brings the umbrella. When it storms in your life, Jesus is your shelter in the midst of the storm I feel my shout coming. When you're found guilty, Jesus is the kind of friend that says "I will take the cross so that you can have a crown!" (Read Prov. 27:6 & St. John 15:13).
It means that He shares what He has in His hands with you. If you have a real friend, then what ever they have, you have. If they have wings, you've got wings. If they've got juice, you've got juice. And, if they have a car, you've got a car. It is because friends share what they have without holding anything back. This is why a real believer should never ever worry about how you are going to make it. If Jesus is your friend, you're completely covered. If you're not shouting yet it is because you don't know what's in His hand. You see, if you are sick, He has healing in His hand. If you are wounded, He has restoration in His hand. If you are weak, He has strength in His hand. If you are battling depression, He has joy in His hand. If you are unemployed, He has the dow Jones industrial average in His hand. If you need a car loan, He has Banks in His hand. And if you are facing defeat, He has victory in His hand. In short, if you have Jesus Christ as your friend you have it all. (Read St. Matthew 6:25-33, St. Luke 15:31, and St. John 14:14).
It means that He tells you all of His most intimate secrets.Only a fool tells other people everything, especially if you do not know if you can trust them. There is an old saying that says "no one knows that you're a fool until you open your mouth and remove all doubts." But, when you have a real friend they know things about each other that no one else will never ever know. Get this, if you are really the friend of God in Jesus Christ you are in on the secrets. This is why people who are really close to the Lord clap, shout, pray, worship, and celebrate more than those who just attend religious services. His friends know all of the secrets/promises. Secrets like "Jesus is coming back.", " two will be in the field, one will be taken, the other left", "if you by faith speak to the mountain it will remove from where it is", "no weapon formed against them shall prosper..." "all things work together for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purposes" "If God is with you, He is more than the whole world against you" "the joy of the Lord is my strength", "the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord", "the battle is not mine it is the Lord's!" And my praise is my weapon therefore, "make a joyful noise unto the Lord...I will bless the Lord at all times...let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!" Get this and don't ever let it go, Jesus is the best friend that you will ever have.
