"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to
love one another." (1 John 4:11 NIV)
Why is it that here in North America a gift of flowers
is reserved for Mothers Day, romantic occasions, or perhaps a sick female
friend? We rarely give flowers to a man, except at his funeral - unless he’s a
horticulturist by trade. In England and Europe flowers are given for any
occasion or no occasion at all, just a simple act of friendship.
This spring, my daughter took me to the annual Tulip
Festival in Ottawa, Ontario. At the end of WWII, the Netherlands presented
Canada with a thank you gift of tulip bulbs. More bulbs have followed, and this
year, Canada’s 150th anniversary, there were more than a million tulips on
display in our nation’s capital city.
It was a beautiful sunny day when we visited. The many
beds of tulips, in every colour imaginable, were gorgeous. Bright colours are so
welcome to us in the north, after a long, cold, monochrome winter. Waves of
different shades of red, pink, yellow, orange, purple, white, and even black
flowers delighted all ages. Hundreds of visitors snapped selfies and posed for
pictures against a background of flowers swaying gently in the breeze. As I
wandered about the flower beds, I thought that God was surely smiling happily
when he created flowers for us!
Large message boards explained that the tulips
symbolize the friendship between Canada and the Netherlands. I found it touching
that the Dutch have never forgotten their gratitude to Canadians in more than
seventy years. Spring bulbs that multiply and reappear year after year are
indeed "the gift that keeps on giving", yet still the Dutch royal family sends
more each year.
The Bible has a lot to say about friendship. King
David and Jonathan swore friendship with each other in the name of the Lord (1
Samuel 20:42). Job spent a great deal of time listening to his friends’ advice.
God spoke to Moses face to face as one speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11), and
Abraham, too, was called God’s friend (James 2:23).
"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24 NIV)
That friend is none other than Jesus. We’ve all heard
that tongue-in-cheek saying: "a friend in need is a friend indeed". But when we
ask God to come into our life, we’re adopted into His family, and Jesus becomes
our Brother. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Friends, if you don’t know Jesus, I encourage you to
welcome him into your heart today. Make him your best friend. He doesn’t need
anything from us apart from our love and obedience. And he promises one day
we’ll go to heaven and live with Him forever. What more could you want from a
friend?
Prayer: Father, we all need a friend. We confess we
don’t spend as much time with you as we do with others. We neglect to show both
you and others our appreciation. We’re often guilty of being a "fair-weather
friend". Help us to love one another as you love us, and help us to show our
love and gratitude to you by being obedient. Amen.
JJ Ollerenshaw
Belleville, Ontario, Canada
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.