I have a friend who has over 1500 Facebook 'friends'. I have over 250 myself. I wish Facebook wouldn't call these people 'friends' because most of mine are what I would call acquaintances, people I have met but not people I could call up in the middle of the night if I needed a friend. They're not people I would want to sit beside my bed as I lay dying. Some of these people were added to my 'friend list' way back in 2007, when I first joined Facebook, but I've never even received a message or comment from them. But Facebook, and I guess me by extension, considers them my 'friends'. In reality they're just someone I know but not really what I would call a 'friend', but Facebook does. They call all these people, everyone I have ever met, my 'friends'.
If you are familiar with Facebook at all you will know that there are inspirational pictures with messages on them which you can post for everyone to see. These inspirational pictures are intended to not only brighten some one's day but also to send a message. Some are beautiful and some are just ridiculous. Some have Scripture attached and others, well others, just don't. On one I saw a depiction of Jesus on one side and Satan on the other. The caption below the picture said 'share if you love Jesus, keep scrolling down if you love Satan'. Now that's just ridiculous, but I digress.
Some people begin their morning by posting five or six or more of these 'Jesus' pictures with messages such as 'Jesus is my best friend', 'Jesus is all I need' and 'I love Jesus'. And that's all well and good but I often wonder if Jesus is just a Facebook friend to these people or if He truly is their friend. Do they just know who He is or have they taken the time to really know Him? Is He present in their news feed on Facebook or in their every day life? Do they actually open His Word and read it on a daily basis or are they content with the snippets of Scripture they receive from scrolling down through their news feed and reading other inspirational quotes attached to pictures? I don't know, but I wonder.
Jesus said that the whole world would know that we are His disciples by the love we have for one another (John 13:35). In other words: our actions should reflect who we say we are. If we are truly friends, not just Facebook friends, with Jesus then our actions should show it. When I have a friend I can go to their house. I can sit and talk with them. I go places with them. I don't do those things with all my Facebook friends, but I do with my real friends. When Jesus is more than a Facebook friend to you, you'll want to be in His house as much as you can. You'll want to spend time with Him, talking to Him and reading from His Word. He's more than a Facebook friend, He's someone who knows you intimately and whom you know is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
What is Jesus to you? Is He an acquaintance, a Facebook friend? Or is He a true friend?
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