Who is your best friend? I’ll bet you have one or two people in mind. Steve, one of my spiritual mentors, once told me, that if at the end of your life you can say that you have two or three true friends, then you have led a very blessed life. Steve passed away several years ago and at his funeral which I attended, there was a time allotted for anyone to stand and say what he meant to them. I was amazed. So many people, people I didn’t know, young and old, male and female, those who had money and some who were poor, all called him a dear friend. Each person had one thing in common. Steve had done something very kind for each one. Because of the things he did, they valued his friendship.
Jesus said to His disciples, “I call you my friends.” Not long after He said those words, He did something amazing. He carried a cross up the hill of Golgotha and His body was nailed to it. The scripture says He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God. It also says that He nailed our sins to that cross. One of His last commandments to us was to love each other as He had loved us. I think when you make it a point to be a good friend to two or three people, it spills over. I said to Steve’s wife, after his funeral, “I didn’t know he had so many friends.” She said that it had only happened over that last few years of his life. He had shown sacrificial love to a few people and it spilled over into all his relationships.
Jesus said to take up your cross and follow Him. If you do, you’ll find yourself loving people with a sacrificial love that will overtake your life and relationships. At the end of your life, you will look back and see that you blessed others with the eternal love of Christ and you will look forward and know that you will spend eternity not only with God but with friends. Are you a good friend?