“Dear friends, build each other up in your most holy faith” (Jude 20)
Lord Jesus, this is an undeniable fact. The older we get, the more we need (and will need) friendships shaped and saturated with the Gospel. That is, friendships we build by grace and by growing in your truth, goodness, and beauty.
Golfing buddies and travel-adventure friendships are fun. Yoga-and-Yogurt groups, dessert-sampling fellowships, book reading clubs, fly-tying pals… all can be sweet and awesome gifts. But “building each other up in our most holy faith” is better by far—I’d say, essential. It’s very possible to “hide” in Bible Study Fellowship groups, or “Christian” this, that, or other things. Building each other up in the faith involves the sharing of heart and life, not just space and notes.
The devil has lost us for eternity, so he is constantly attempting to diminish and destroy our love for you, Jesus (2Cor.11:1-3). And, secondly, he loves to busy us with friendships that are “vanilla,” “meh,” superficial, and too safe.
Predictably, each of us will go through seasons of heart-hurting challenges and the atrophy of our bodies and energy. But plate-spinning, busyness, and parenting never end. And fears of “have I done enough, do we have enough” take over. We really do need each other, Jesus. As an introvert, I have to work hard at being present in grace-marinating friendships. As an unglorified believer, it truly is essential. This is true for all of us, no matter our temperament, people-bandwidth, or number of acquaintances.
Aloneness is an option, but a bad and destructive one. So Jesus, first and foremost, restore to us the joy of knowing you and being loved by you. Be our passion and delight—our treasure and everything. If that’s never happened, make it so. Then help us make Gospel-friendships central, not peripheral. So Very Amen.