Good friends are hard to find

Good friends are hard to find, but when you find one it is really a joy is it not? I have some close personal friends in the Florida Keys that have been helping me with a construction project in my absence. One of my friends who is helping me recently lost his step-mother. Upon learning of the death of his wife of some forty odd years his elderly father passed out for some twenty minutes which caused some serious health complications of his own. His father had barely started recovering and beginning the grieving process for his lifetime mate, when the very next day he learned that his brother suddenly died of a heart attack. If that was not enough, his son, (my friend’s only living brother) just got admitted to the hospital in very serious condition with advanced incurable cancer. My buddy had to fly to Georgia last week to deal with all of this.

This guy has four young children and he has been serving as “mom” while his wife is finishing school to become a nurse. He has to get them up in the morning, fix them breakfast, get them dressed, get them off to school and after school and on weekends take them all over creation as all of them are playing multiple sports etc. while his wife is in school and studying etc. His oldest daughter goes in the hospital in Miami next week for extensive back surgery further compounding his problems. He owns a painting business and his top man and lead supervisor of several years just returned to his country of origin to try and get his green card in order to maintain his legal status to work in the United States. This put him far behind in his work. My buddy has more work than he can possibly get done and people are literally screaming at him all day about delays.

So he has all of this going on and what does he do? Unbeknownst to me, he goes over to my house and spends eight hours hanging wallpaper in order for me to finish my project and have everything looking nice when I return. Now get this, he will not allow me to pay him a penny. Whew! What a friend. Like most of you I have far more people that I know who purport to be friends, but their friendship is all about what I can do for them and to be truthful if the money ran out they would be gone like cockroaches when the lights are turned on in a dark room.

As incredibly good of a friend as this guy is to me and me to him, he would not lay down his life for me or vice versa. Jesus did exactly that. He did it willingly in order that we might live. Maybe you do not have any friends like my buddy in the Keys, but you have a friend in Jesus. He cares nothing about your money or what you can do for Him as He does not need anything; He owns it all. He cares about you and your eternal well-being and he laid down His very life for you and for me. The Bible tells us that Jesus stands at the door and knocks waiting for those who will allow Him to do so to enter into their hearts and become best friends. One could not imagine or hope for a better friend. Won’t you allow Him in your heart today?

Luke 12:8
Also I say to you, whoever confesses
Me before men, him the Son
of man also will confess before the
angels of God.