Real Friends

So lately I have been really missing some friends of mine that used to go to church with us at Faith Church that live in Texas and soon will be moving to CA. My heart aches because I have tried so much to talk to them and never seem to get through to them. I leave messages and posts for them, yet never to date get a reply. I begin to wonder if something is being held against me so I ask a relative if they have heard from these dear people and they tell me how busy my friends are. I continue to hold onto the hope that all is well and cling to the words of the song that say " Friends are friends forever, when the Lord's the Lord of them". I know the Lord is very much the Lord of them, and He is for sure the Lord of us here in Urbana so I cling to them in prayer as I lift them up for their big move. Then one of our other friends who has been unable to be with us as much as she would like comes to me with a situation. While I wasn't sure at the onset how to respond to her situation, it was apparent the Holy Spirit was guiding me as He led me through John 21.

Jesus has been resurrected and is now walking the earth. He misses those He had spent time with and in doing so He returns to the place He is sure to find them. There on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees His friends, His disciples, the ones He hasn't seen since..........yep, since they deserted him at the cross. Most people at this point would be ready to drown them but Jesus our Lord, from the shores yells out to their boat and asks if they had caught any fish. Their reply is negative in nature so Jesus, their friend suggests they try the other side of the boat. They do and the nets are bursting at the seams. Jesus' friends now realize who is standing on the shore, so they go to Him and have breakfast together.

Jesus is Lord and He was still Lord of them, despite the mistakes they had made. And true to the words of the song, Jesus and His friends were friends forever. Jesus promises them this in Matthew 28:20 as He sends them into the world to carry on the ministry.

So I guess real friends are defined by more than those that have your back, those that you can go to with anything, but those that share in the same passion for the Lord as you do, that will love you unconditionally like the Lord does us and make the rest fall into place.

I miss and love you my friends from Texas soon to be Californians. I know the Lord is with you and will bless your ministry as He has ours.

The Lord is the Lord of us!
Amen!

Pastor Wayne