John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
“Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them…” A lot of truth in those Michael W. Smith lyrics. It’s hard to overestimate the value of spiritual friendship.
When I think of friendships, I go back to the first ones. The school days ones. The West Portsmouth, Ohio ones. Memories of those friends remain dear to me because of our common roots. No one in my circle of friends today knows about Slab Run or Dreamland Pool or River Days. But my fellow West-siders do, and I love them for it. The West Side remains our common ground even though our connections are limited to occasional reunions.
Most all friendships form around a commonality. People we work with, ski with, read books with, volunteer with. Tim Keller says the “very essence of friendship is not to look at each other, but to look at something in common. Friendship is always about something besides friends.”
And that brings me to spiritual friends. Friends whose commonality rests on believing in Jesus. Friends who bow before the same God. Who seek to live according to his principles of love, integrity, justice and mercy. We don’t look the same. We come with different levels of education, different life experiences, different economic statuses. But we share an unbreakable bond that extends to eternity.
Spiritual friendships not only serve to keep us accountable; they lessen our loads. Remember how Samwise Gamgee refused to let Frodo go to the Mountain of Doom alone? (Lord of the Rings) They shared a common goal of getting rid of the Ring that threatened all of Middle Earth. My spiritual friendships embrace that kind of loyalty. They inspire me with their courage and faithfulness to God. They stand as lampposts of grace in my dark times, directing me to the Light ahead. I need those “Sam Gamgees.”
We all do. If I could encourage you with one thing today, it would be this. Cultivate spiritual friendships. I know, it takes time. But don’t let busyness crowd out your friendships. Jesus certainly poured into his friends, and he challenges us to follow his lead. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”