YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND

Many years ago when I was a teenager, this James Taylor song was one of my favorite. (I know I'm dating myself but that's ok. I'm proud to say I'm 50.) Anyway, I still know most of the words and love to sing it if ever I hear it. Today, I talked on the phone with a relatively new friend I've "met" on Twitter (@Aliveinme). Heather (aka Hetty) lives in Chandler, AZ so of course, we have never physically met (yet) but we have talked several times on the phone and talk often via Twitter. As soon as I began following her on Twitter, I felt an immediate connection. She loves Jesus with all her heart and has an awesome testimony, being epileptic from birth and has undergone multiple brain surgeries to alleviate her seizures. The last one was Feb. 12, 2010. Praise the Lord! She has come down from taking seven meds to taking two so far, and is seizure free. I've met another lady on Twitter, and yes, we have physically met because she lives in Orange Park, just minutes away. Again, I felt an instant connection with Monique (@inspiredmomma). I'm amazed how everyone talks about these "social medias" and how they keep us from having real friendships, and yet, those two ladies are examples of being able to develop REAL friendships. I do need to give God the credit. He is the source of the bond I feel with both of these ladies.

So, anyway...I thought about Jesus and how He is so.our.friend. and really, truly does care for us. Some of my favorite verses concerning friend(s) or friendship are the following: "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s 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." John 15:13-15 NKJV I have some really amazing friends, but honestly, as much as they love me, I'm not sure they'd be willing to die for me like Jesus did. I love this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z5cgajl1Kg&feature=related). I think the first time I really heard it was at Children's Camp when I went several years ago but we just sang in for worship this past Sunday at Promise Land (http://www.promiselandbaptist.org). It is amazing though, isn't it?

If you do a topical search on FRIEND(S) you'll get 47 hits, 12 hits on FRIENDSHIP and 19 hits for instances of FRIENDSHIP. (source: Nave's Topical Bible on http://biblegateway.com). If you do a keyword search on FRIEND(S) you'll get 112 hits and 2 hits on FRIENDSHIP (source: http://biblegateway.com; NKJV). That's a lot of verses on the subject. I think it's pretty important to God.

One thing for sure, we all need friends. First of all, we need Jesus. He is the one who was willing to lay down His life for us, but we need each other. Take a moment to tell the ones in your lives who are special to you. Don't take them for granted. Life can throw us some curves and very quickly.