The Value of Friends

All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. (Philippians 2:21)

Since none of us is a whole, independent, self-sufficient, super-capable, all-powerful hotshot, let’s quit acting like we are. Life’s lonely enough without our playing that silly role.

The game’s over. Let’s link up!

People are important to each other. Above all, people are important to God. Which does not diminish His authority and self-sufficiency at all. The creation of humanity on the sixth day was the crowning accomplishment of the Lord’s creation handiwork. Furthermore, He put into mankind His very image, which He did not do for plant life or animals, birds, or fish. It was for the salvation of humanity, not brute beasts, that Christ came and died, and it will be for us that He will someday return. The major reason I am involved in a writing ministry and a broadcasting ministry and a church ministry is that people need to be reached and nurtured in the faith. This could be said of anyone serving the Lord Christ.

Couldn’t God do it all? Of course, He is God—all-powerful and all-knowing and all-sufficient. That makes it all the more significant that He prefers to use us in His work. Even though He could operate completely alone on this earth, He seldom does. Almost without exception, He uses people in the process. His favorite plan is a combined effort: God plus people equals accomplishment.

God has not only created each one of us as distinct individuals, He also uses us in significant ways. Just stop and think. Chances are you are where you are today because of the words or the writings or the personal influence of certain people. I love to ask people how they became who they are. When I do, they invariably speak of the influence or the encouragement of key people in their past.

I would be the first to affirm that fact. When I look back across the landscape of my life, I am able to connect specific individuals to each crossroad and every milestone. Some of them are people the world will never know, for they are relatively unknown to the general public. But to me personally? Absolutely vital. And a few of them have remained my friends to this very day. Each one has helped me clear a hurdle or handle a struggle, accomplish an objective or endure a trial—and ultimately laugh again. I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.