What a Friend

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 12, 2024

What a Friend

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.

Isaiah 63:9 

1-    Who is the one person for whom you never doubted their love?

2-    Who is the one person with whom you can talk freely and honestly about your deepest thoughts, feelings, and emotions?

3-    Who is the one person, above all others in your life, who you desire to spend quality time?

Perhaps you have one person in your life who possesses all three of these qualities, perhaps three different people fill these roles in your life, or perhaps you haven’t yet entered a loving relationship with such a person(s). If you are still drawing a blank trying to answer these questions, that’s OK. Keep reading because I think I can offer you help.

First, for those who have a person, or persons, in mind for each of those three roles in your life, do you know that Jesus very much wants to be one of those persons? Jesus wants you to know him in a deep, intimate relationship. Jesus wants you to experience him responding to you with unconditional love, with tenderness and compassion. Some friends who love us unconditionally fall into the realm of co-dependency and offer mercy and compassion because they don’t want to hurt us with the truth. Jesus is the perfect model for speaking the truth in love. He confronts us when we need to be confronted, but always he comes to us with a love that empowers us to fulfill our destiny as the beloved children of our Abba Father.

My Takeaway: For my friends who are still holding a blank sheet of paper, unable to come up with the names of persons who fill those needs in your life, there was a time in my life when my paper was blank. I turned to Jesus and this song by Delirious? became my personal anthem:

 Jesus Friend Forever

 

What a friend I've found

Closer than a brother

I have felt your touch

More intimate than lovers

 

Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, friend forever

 

What a hope I've found

More faithful than a mother

It would break my heart

To ever lose each other

 

Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, friend forever

Oh, Jesus, yeah, Jesus

Jesus, friend forever

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.