Becoming a Faithful Friend like Jesus - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 18
Becoming a Faithful Friend like Jesus
By: Emily Rose Massey
Bible Reading:
“But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (Ruth 1:16-17).
“Biblical friendship exists when two or more people, bound together by a common faith in Jesus Christ, pursue him and his Kingdom with intentionality and vulnerability. Rather than serving as an end in itself, biblical friendship serves primarily to bring glory to Christ, who brought us into friendship with the Father. It is indispensable to the work of the gospel in the earth, and an essential element of what God created us for.” - Jonathan Holmes
We see evidence of faithful and committed friendships like that in the scriptures: Paul and Timothy, Jesus and His disciples, David and Jonathan, and Ruth and Naomi. Let’s look at an example of loyalty in the life of Ruth in Ruth 1:16-17:
“But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
John MacArthur calls these verses Ruth’s “hallmark expression of loyalty and commitment to Naomi.” These verses (verses 16, 17) are commonly read at wedding ceremonies to express the depth of faithfulness and commitment in the union of marriage. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with using these verses to express loyalty and love in a marriage relationship, the proper context is rooted in the friendship between these two women, Ruth and Naomi, but it is interesting to note that their friendship was a very intimate one, a soul-quality one- the type of commitment that one would find in a Biblical marriage because it’s foundation is the same, love for God.
I believe it’s important to understand where Ruth’s ability to love and be loyal comes from. By God’s grace, Ruth turns away from the paganism of Moab and turns to Yahweh. This response is evidence of her repentance (a turning away from) and her faith (a turning towards) the One, True God. Her conversion to becoming a follower of God is where it all begins. By God’s grace, she becomes a lover of God and receives His love for her and then pours that out on Naomi. Oh, may we do the same!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If we love God and we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, God’s love will be evident in our lives by how well we show His love: for Him, most importantly, and for others. If you are born again, God’s love is abiding in you through the Holy Spirit. If that is true for you, is God’s love being perfected in you? How well are you loving others… how purposeful? How intentional are you with reaching out and showing the love of Christ to others? My pastor recently said that the opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. If your love is being perfected, it is growing; it is not apathetic and idle. We can see how God’s love is being perfected in us by how we treat one another.
The “One Anothers” in scripture help us to become better friends because they help us love like Christ! There are almost 60 of these verses in the New Testament. Clearly, the most common phrase in the list of “one anothers” is “love one another,” but really all of the verses are about loving one another—because love is an action, and because all of God’s commands can be summarized as loving God and loving your neighbor. Living out these verses in community is how we can love—and be loved—by one another.
Ultimately, we must be committed to glorifying God in our friendships, which is a Christ-enabled commitment to love God and love one another. Some practical ways we can grow in our friendships are to look for shared activities that provide an opportunity for us to talk because it is conversation that will deepen the friendship: work days at church, beach days, working out together, shopping together, play dates, and shared meals. Meals slow things down to become people-oriented instead of task-oriented. Conversation is engaged sharing and engaged listening. Let’s find a good balance between the two! If conversation is difficult for you, especially if the friendship is new, think about what to ask your friend on the way to meet with them so you have a fruitful topic you both can talk about casually and openly. Another idea would be to study a book together and use that as a way to start a dialogue.
Jesus is our perfect example of how to love others well. How did Christ love His disciples? Jesus taught that friendship is the greatest expression of love. Jesus sacrificed not only by pouring out His life in His devotion to His disciples, His friends, by giving them His time, affection, and attention, but also by literally laying down His life. He laid His life down for His friends. He sacrificed it all, ultimately, in obedience and love for the Father who sent Him, but also because of His great love for His own. By God’s grace, may we all learn how to be sacrificial, selfless, faithful friends just like Jesus!
Further Reading:
Matthew 22:37-40
John 15
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: PeopleImages from Getty Images Signature via Canva Pro
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
The Rapture: What Is It and When Will It Happen?
Talbot New Testament scholar Dr. Alan Hultberg joins Sean McDowell to sort out what Scripture says, walk through the three major views, and ask the question everyone wants answered: are we close? Hultberg starts by clearing away the "Left Behind" imagery most of us absorbed from movies and kids' Bible storybooks, then lays out the three positions evangelicals actually debate, explaining what separates them, how each handles the tribulation, Israel, and the timing of Christ's return.
Want more answers to your biggest questions about God, morality, and contemporary culture? Be sure to follow The Sean McDowell Show on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
