Motivation for friends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeGO5TtnVrU&list=RDxeGO5TtnVrU&start_radio=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCM8sI1RRDI&list=RDnCM8sI1RRDI&start_radio=1
As we continue to discuss “When friends get together,” one of the first questions that needs to asked is “What is the foundation in which a friendship develops?”
Turning for help from the Greek understanding of love, there are several possibilities that pertain to the love experienced in friendship.
“Storge”- strong solid “Liking”
“Phileo”- connection, friendship, enjoyment in relationship
“Agape”- Unconditional love
These three definitions will work for the point we are making, but a case could be made for other Greek terms use for friendships. But these will do.
The biggest factor to be considered is the idea of a friendship being conditional or unconditional. Storge and Phileo both represent conditional love meaning this relationship is dependent upon something other than the two primary parties (the two friends.)
Rare is the friendship that is simply based on the two people themselves. Usually there is a common denominator involved that is the glue that keeps the relationship in tact.
The common denominator could basically be anything:
shared hobbies
shared lifestyles
shared attitudes
shared passions
Shared physical location
basically anything that two people have in common.
But if the friendship disappears because the common denominator disappears, then no matter how good the friendship once was, it was a conditional friendship because its strength was on the common denominator and not the people themselves.
How many of us placed a sentence in the back of our “best friend’s”annual our senior year in high school that said something like “Best friends forever” but to date, we have only spoken once maybe twice and when we did visit its definitely not the same. At best our relationship that at one time was closer than siblings now somehow has been downgraded to mere acquaintance status. The close relationship we once had was based on our age at the time, The high school location, and maybe all the activities that we were involved with together at the time. but now all of those “Ties that bind” are over and the closeness of the relationship did not survive because it was conditional. It was based on all the trappings of high school life, now thats over and the relationship depended on those common denominators to survive.
Friendships can share an agape love which is unconditional which (using the same high school scenario) is simply the idea that despite the fact that school days are over and separate life journeys have occurred, the relationship survives strong even though the circumstances surrounding the relationship have changed, the people in the relationship continue in a committed ongoing connection that time, location, physical distance, etc cannot erase.
The strength of “When friends get together” is based on the idea that this type of relationship is both conditional and unconditional.
It is conditional based on the condition that Jesus is at the helm or lead of the friendship.
Recognizing that Jesus is the Lord of our life and relationships, then the relationship is unconditional since the unconditional love of Jesus is the common denominator in both lives and unlike anything else in the world Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8.) No matter what else changes in our lives Jesus doesn’t and if our friendships have Jesus as the priority then we can see the old song “Friends are friends forever, if the Lord is the Lord of them.”
Colossians 1:17 (Speaking of Jesus)
He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.
If Jesus is the priority in both parties lives (friendships, marriages, business partners, etc.) He is before the friendship which means we place Jesus ahead of the friendship “hey dude, lets go fishing Sunday, sorry my friend I can’t make it, I’ve got church, But hey why don’t you go to church with me and we’ll go fishing afterward?” Placing Jesus before, allows Him to hold together whats important to us.
If our friendships are before Christ, They remain dependent on things of this world that will eventually change and thus the friendship changes. Place our friendships behind Christ and enjoy a friendship that will outlast the ages. And we can truly sing “Old friends”