Proverbs 18:24 declares, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”  They say that “blood is thicker than water” but there is a type of friendship, Solomon concluded, that is actually thicker than blood.  It is the kind of friendship Jesus referred to in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

    Self-denying, sacrificial love is the greatest virtue of any friendship.  Paul said this kind of love is actually greater than faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13).  Jesus Christ is this kind of friend.

     He never refuses you.  You can talk with Him any hour of the day (or night).  He only gives you good counsel and advice.  He is not self-serving.  He bestows daily blessings and benefits in your life.  He is reliable, dependable, and trustworthy.  He doesn’t talk behind your back.  He doesn’t leave you during hard times.  He is a physician, a counselor, a shepherd, a Savior.  He’s THE Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

     Joseph Scriven perhaps said it best in his classic hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear! What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer!” Indeed, He is a Friend like none other!