We spent the entire psych class this morning talking about friendship. There seemed to be a consensus that it would be difficult to maintain a friendship unless there was some mutual interest. There needs to be some common ground for a lasting relationship. Someone laughingly said, “My boyfriend likes me and I like me so there is our mutual interest. That’s our common ground.” Despite the fact that she might have been telling the truth, there has to be give and take. A real friendship cannot long endure if all the giving and all the getting is one way.
If this is true I found myself wondering about Jesus’ comments in John 15 where He calls us His friends. It is very obvious what we have to get from Him. He is like a river of blessings flowing toward us. I note the Mississippi flows only one direction. What does He get from this relationship other than disappointmentsin our behavior and attitudes?
Surely we are more than trophies that He has won from Satan. We are not in some cosmic game to see who ends up with the most souls. The joy in heaven over just one being saved has to have a deeper reason than merely giving us eternal life. Or does it? Is God’s love so unselfish and so genuine that our joy is His joy? I know I am extremely happy when I see my children doing well. Their success and their prosperity more than compensates for any rough spot we might have had when they were adolescents. I must admit that I do in many ways live vicariously through my children. Could it be that God lives vicariously through you and me? Is this why Jesus told us to call Him Father?
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 12, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org