Advent Devotional 2
GOD’s gift to me: “Friends”
I looked up the definition of “Friend” the other day to find the following.
Friendship or the idea of a friend involve three components: association, loyalty, and affection. There are also three levels of meaning: friendship as association only; friendship as association plus loyalty; and friendship as association plus loyalty plus affection.
The highest level of friendship contains the components of association and loyalty along with affection. The friendship of David and Jonathan (1 Sam 18:1-4 ; 20:14-17) has all three components, as does the friendship between Paul and the Philippian church (see, e.g., Philippians 4:1 Philippians 4:15-20 ).
Our church has lost several friends over the past few weeks and months due to multiple reasons. Change in lifestyle, (assisted living, nursing homes) or relocation to another city, and death. The first two situations are hard sometimes to accept but at least you have the opportunity to stay in touch long distance or through social media. However, you still miss the association and loyalty and affection you shared with each.
Death, is more difficult to handle. You’ll never have that conversation as before, you’ll never go out to lunch like you did before, you’ll never share the friendly emails and text messages and hugs as you did before.
Death is permanent but not the end. I have often wondered what life after death might be like as many of us have. It’s not something we want to think about but we know all of us will experience death at some point in our lives. When we are born, GOD makes an appointment for us with Death. However, only He knows the time.
Scripture says we will see our friends and relatives and have recognition of those friends. What a joy that will be to see friends, family and relatives who have gone before us. What a JOY to celebrate our “Friends”.
Many of you have read the story below. I keep it handy when I need it. It seems I have been reading it more often than I did before. We have lost some dear friends. So, for times like we have had the past few weeks, this story always lifts me up.
It’s worth another read.
“Death…A Wonderful Way to Explain It”
A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.’ Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.
“You don’t know? You’re a Christian Man, and don’t know what’s on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
“Did you notice my dog?
He’s never been in this room before.
He didn’t know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing….
I know my Master is there and that is enough.”
Author Unknown
Mike Tuttle
