A Close Friend

September 22, 2024

I would be very angry or very depressed, or possibly both right about now, if it wasn’t for the fact that Jesus is such a good friend.

Have you ever had a best friend? A trusted and loving sister or brother?

Well, I think we all could use a good friendly advocate right about now…

The entire world is sliding sideways. There is social chaos, climate calamity, religious confusion, unending wars, school shootings and other senseless violence, shifting tectonic plates, bleaching of expansive coral reefs — meaning death to our oceans… There are epidemics, famines, floods, droughts — you name it, disasters every which way we look. All this is causing our serene world and our personal security and our sanity to also be sliding sideways. It’s rather difficult to find good news or events to cheer us up or at least, to distract us for a while…

News Programs have now recognized this phenomenon and have been giving some relief to their anchors and reporters and listeners by lengthy segments of uplifting news and… ugh… merchandising. (I mention this only as a sign which attests to the trueness of my observation.)

But God has presented His plan to rescue us from the whole mess. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you {us}, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9, my addition { }.

That last word, “repentance,” throws a lot of people off — or it might rather even “turn people off.” Still and all, even though some might see no need to change their thinking or turn away from their behaviors, some others might have a persistent “itch they can’t scratch.” Besides, there are many who certainly don’t believe in God, Jesus, or the Bible. Also, there are many who may overthink turning to God, making it far more difficult and complex than God deems necessary.

“Prayer” is another word people stumble over.

However, as this group of people are singing, “There’s no wrong way to do it. There’s no bad time to start. It don’t have to sound pretty. Just tell Him what’s on your heart.” Please take the time to listen to them: Talking To Jesus | Elevation Worship & Maverick City

So, what I am trying to suggest to those open to change in themselves and in their lives is to forget the ritualized sacrament of prayer, spoken by rote, which seems to be integral in all denominations.

As I am arriving at my final thoughts, let me talk about this practical Bible verse: “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend clinging closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24, Greek Interlinear Bible.

My research has found a few hermeneutical discussions about this seemingly simple translation, discovering there may be different ways to translate and therefore, various meanings precipitating from those variants. Certainly, this makes for foggy conditions and blurry eyesight, also having an overwhelming effect on people’s hearing. Even so, for this, my elemental writing, I’m staying with the simple Greek Interlinear Bible. It is, at least, if nothing else, more convenient for me.

Regardless, my chosen interpretation presents two facts:

• Friendliness creates an atmosphere where others may want to congregate. Truth? Yes. Of course.
• Somewhere there do exist people who will be more loyal than any family member. Truth? Sometimes certainly!

I have been very fortunate in my life to have had a whole lot of friendly classmates, coworkers, family, and personal relationships — people who have been kind, tolerant, willing to help, not afraid to correct, and who never shrank back from our friendship during stressful times and controversy. As far as I know, I have had no real enemies. My enemies have been, and still are, more systemic than personal.

Some people may disagree with me on my various positions within various topics, but that is perfectly okay, because I have learned to try to present my thoughts and beliefs as only my opinions, avoiding a knee jerk reaction to pontification. At the same time, I am completely convinced that God exists, that Jesus saved me from myself, and that the Holy Spirit is still protectively hovering over God’s precious Creation. I have been persuaded of the reality of all these facts, because of all the real benefits I have experienced and received in my life (at least since around 1972!).

Further, I also accept other’s thoughts and beliefs as opinions — whether or not they have the same view.

I suppose that there will always be some degree of confrontations. Still and all, bigoted arguing never produces results and resolution, but only produces animosities and divisiveness. Why bother in that case, then, to talk to each other at all?

That attitude of talking about opinions is much more conducive to discussion than angry confrontation which only produces intolerance.

It also is my attempt to be friendly.

Let’s all be friends. Waddayasay?

Most important in my attempts at friendly communication is this — a fact which I have learned through personal experience — neither philosophy, nor religion: While there have been a few people in my life who have “loved me like a brother,” only one person have I encountered who has exceeded that kind of brotherly love. All the same, as I started out trying to point out, it is Jesus. Jesus of the Bible. God who came down from Heaven for our benefit. He has become my friend who, as it turns out, is far more than a friend or a brother.

If you start talking to Him, I am sure he is hoping to start the same relationship with you, and, for that matter, with anyone else and everyone else…