I have a few CD’s that I enjoy as soft background music. Anyway this a.m., the music was playing softly as I began my devotions and the old song “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” began playing. As I listened, my earliest memories of singing this song came back to me. I was at my grandmother’s Freewill Baptist Camp meeting with my cousins and I was very young but I remember thinking and wondering about Jesus being a ‘Friend’.
My siblings and I were truly blessed to have wonderful grandparents on both sides of the family. I remember, in particular, this grandmother - on my mother's side - would talk a lot about Jesus being a “personal” Savior. Maybe that’s why this song resides strongly in my memories during that camp meeting. I remember that I had fun at camp and remember singing this song. So I sit here thinking, wow, this was one of the first times that the Holy Spirit was wooing me to the Lord.
Now I am much older and have found Jesus to be that true personal Savior and ‘Friend’. My hope is that all who read this blog will not only know Him as their personal Savior but also know Him as ‘Friend‘.
It rather amazes me that Jesus spent several years with the disciples before He ever called them His ‘friends’. I think there’s a lesson for us there. Friend is an interesting word and truly one can’t separate it from the word ‘fellowship‘.
“I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.” John 15:15
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/a/f/wafwhij.htm
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2 comments:
i don't remember going to the camp - maybe i was too little to remember or maybe i just didn't go, but i do remember how grandma loved that song. she even wanted it sung (and it was) at her funeral so i know it was a favorite of hers. i think of her every time i hear it. God is such a wonderful Friend to me. i'm so thankful for the heritage we have of God-fearing people. we have been truly blessed.
You probably were too little when I went because I was pretty young. Yes, she loved that song and she also loved the song Amazing Grace.
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