Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
The above Proverb refers to Jesus. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. You may have a good, life-long BFF that is always there and can always be counted on. I have a BFF like that. When my dad was passing away and circumstances prevented me from being with him, my BFF drove from Ohio to Cobourg, Ontario just to sit in the car with my kids so that I could have a 20-minute visit. She had to go straight back to teach the next day and she didn’t stay to visit. She just gave me a hug, watched my kids during my visit, and then hopped in her car and headed back, 12 hours to Ohio; that is the kind of friend that Jesus is. But the verse doesn’t end there. It says he is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
You have probably heard the saying “friends are the family you choose for yourself.” There is some truth to that saying, but there is also truth in “blood is thicker than water.” When I look at families that have faced hardships, trials, tragedies or crisis, for the most part it is family that steps in and helps out over the long run. A burn victim may have a go-fund-me account set up and contributed to by strangers, and maybe a friend organizes a meal train. But years down the line, when people grow up and move away, it is family that is left encouraging, helping, affirming and helping to carry the burdens. Not always, but often.
Jesus is both of these to us. He is the friend, in the highest definition of the word, that sticks closer than a brother. Because Jesus is God, He will never fail us. He is perfectly sensitive, caring, compassionate, honest, faithful, good and so much more. Other Scriptures support this. Look at the friend/brother that Jesus is to you and me in these truths from the Bible:
Romans 5:7,8 “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 15:13-16 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you…”
1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Jesus of Nazareth, God and Son of God is not just our friend. He is our perfect friend who sticks closer than a brother. With Jesus by our side, we are never, ever alone.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Our song for today is What a Friend by Matt Maher.