Monday, January 14, 2019
635 - Let's Be Friends
Spirituality Column #635
January 15, 2019
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Let’s Be Friends
By Bob Walters
The Bible has plenty to say about friends and enemies, and I
think the manner in which we choose both says a lot about our attitude – and
happiness – in this life.
Simply and
most likely, we’ll be friends with that which we love and makes us feel secure,
and enemies of that which we hate and makes us feel insecure. And here’s a news
flash … no two of us have the exact same formula or priorities in establishing
this life-defining, decision-making dynamic but many of us, over time, develop
the same incredibly effective starting point: Jesus Christ – Lord, friend,
shepherd, and God.
That’s certainly
not where I started and not where I spent most of my life, which has been
predominantly rich with great friends and relationships and occasionally
burdened with a few clunkers. But it was
just the most surprising thing a few years back when, sitting in church for the
first time as an adult – a middle-aged adult at that – with no expectations
whatsoever, and realized right then and there that Jesus had taken a seat right
next to me. And I – however it happens -
knew it was time to become friends.
Thankfully at that particular time,
I knew absolutely nothing about the Bible except that I didn’t understand
it. I had no theological training
whatsoever. I had only the barest
comprehension of doctrine and church history from what I remembered from being
an altar boy in the Episcopal Church as a kid.
I had the Father-Son-Holy Spirit basics: God created the world, Jesus
His Son died on the Cross and was Resurrected – which somehow resulted in my
being forgiven for sins to which I was reluctant to admit because I “wasn’t a
bad person “– and this Holy Spirit was a third, mysterious part of the Trinity and
had something to do with prayer. The
Bible? Just an old book; no big deal.
That was Bob vis-à-vis God in 2001:
a blank slate, with a new friend, Jesus.
And since then I’ve never stopped
learning. In my case I could tell Jesus
was a true friend because He brought, almost immediately, the most amazing
parade of Christian mentors and church opportunities into my life, and it has
continued ever since. Friendships with
devout Christians developed.
Importantly, the Spirit turned on the lights when it came to Bible study. Within a couple of months I was baptized;
within a year of that, I had read the entire Bible. What ensued was a wonderful education in
knowing Him and learning faithful Christian theology, doctrine, and
history. There was growth, change, and
so many new friends – none more evident than Jesus Himself.
So call me crazy for saying this,
but it’s these friendships with Him and through Him that I treasure above
all. It’s greater to me than the promise
of salvation, more than eternal life, more than the prospect of whatever it is
that’s going to happen in Heaven, more than the forgiveness of my sins. I’m glad all that happened/will happen, but it
is the faith in Jesus that I possess right now and somehow, mysteriously,
understand, that lights my path. The “next
life” stuff still coming is great, I “get” it, but marvelous things – wide-open
and huge things – attend a deep friendship with Jesus Christ … today.
That’s my attitude; it’s what I
love, makes me secure, and brings a smile.
This new friend provided a new starting point, a stirred soul, and a
finish worth shooting for.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) doesn’t keep a running salvational score,
but prefers the peace of friends over the chaos of enemies and figures God –
who is Love – sent Jesus to accomplish exactly that.
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