On Godly Friendships: Jesus & the Disciples - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 30, 2024

Friendships are an essential part of life and can either bring joy or sorrow. While satan prefers the latter, God's plan is for His people to enjoy godly friendships that honor Him while enhancing their lives. Fortunately, the relationship between Jesus Christ and His disciples teaches a lot about godly friendships and how we can have them.

Despite being the Son of God and receiving respect and reverence from His disciples, Jesus affectionately referred to them as His friends. John 15:15 - 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.

These men were ordinary individuals and yet somehow, the Son of God deemed them worthy to be called His friends. Peter was, from all indications, a hot-headed man. Andrew, James, and John were mere fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector - a career that brought disdain because such men were seen as traitors who oppressed their people on behalf of the Roman Empire. Yet, once the Savior chose them to follow Him, all those worldly distinctions ceased to hold any significance. And as they walked with Him faithfully, they became more than just students. They became privy to heavenly insight and had a front-row seat to signs and wonders never seen before. He did not deprive them of the knowledge of God or His word. He made sure they understood God's power, showing them what they could do as long as they had faith.

Jesus wasn't just concerned about their spiritual health, He paid attention to the issues they dealt with in the physical. For instance, there was a time when Peter’s mother-in-law fell ill and was running a fever. He wasn't too busy to take care of the issue. Mark 1:30 tells us that once Jesus was told, He left what He was doing to see her, took her hand, and helped her up (Mark 1:31). She was instantly healed and went on to cater to Him and all the other guests. That He could drop everything to attend to His friend's mother-in-law speaks volumes of how valued His friends. Arguably, He treated them better than His own family, who He refused to speak to when they came looking for Him. Instead, He remained where He was to keep teaching people the word of God (Mark 3:31-34).

Further, Jesus also exhibited godly friendship by praying for His friends. John 17 shows that He interceded on behalf of His disciples. He prayed that they would be united and protected from satan. He didn't stop there but went on to say those same prayers for each person who would ever become His disciple.

Do you see the various ways Christ exhibited godly friendship to others? He called His disciples friends, shared His knowledge with them, addressed the issues that bothered them, and prayed for them. He was loyal to His friends and they believed in Him. He remains loyal to all who are His friends today - those who believe in Him and God the Father. We must emulate these characteristics as we deal with the godly friends placed in our lives by the Lord.

It won't always be easy, people being people they will sometimes do things that disappoint you. Nevertheless, just as Christ was able to pray for and overlook Peter's disloyalty when he denied knowing Him before the crucifixion, we must also forgive and overlook the shortcomings of our godly friends. We must remember that God is gracious with us and extend that same grace to our friends. And, we need to copy Jesus's behavior in how we relate to both Him and the Father. Doing so will strengthen our relationship and take us from servants to being friends with God the way Abraham was (Isaiah 41:8).

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