Altar
Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter
Albritton
Feb.
5, 2017
Faithful friends are
like diamonds
There are many kinds of friends. There
are good friends and casual friends. There are friends who are trustworthy and
some who are not. In my sunset years I am deeply thankful for friends who have
proved to be faithful friends.
A man is rich who has even a few faithful
friends. I am a rich man because I have many good friends that I consider
faithful friends. Some poet expressed a great truth about genuine friends this
way:
True friends are like
diamonds,
Precious and rare,
Fake friends are like
autumn leaves,
Found everywhere.
I don’t have any diamonds but I do have
some true friends who are more precious to me than diamonds. One such friend
comes to mind – a man who served as a leader in a church I served as pastor. We
became close friends, even taking the time for a few years to pray together at
lunch while sharing our common search for an authentic spiritual life as
disciples of Christ.
After almost a decade
of close friendship we each moved to a different state but our friendship did
not end. Our friendship has continued strong for nearly 30 years since our work
separated us.
A few years ago this friend and I came
across the song “Faithful Friend” written by Steven Curtis Chapman. The song
helped us realize the great value of our friendship. Twila
Parish recorded the song, singing it as a duet with Chapman. The lyrics touch
the heart. Twila begins with these words:
Everyone knows you
As a man of honor
I am glad to know you
Simply as a friend
You've always taken
Time to be my brother
And I'll be standing by you in the end
But I will never put you on a pedestal
I thank the Lord for everything you do
I'll be there to pray for you and for the ones you
love
I believe that He will finish all He's started in
you
I will be an open
Door that you can count on
Anywhere you are
Anywhere you've been
I will be an honest
Heart you can depend on
I will be your faithful friend.
Steven responds by singing:
I am one of many
Whose path has been made clearer
By the light you've carried faithfully
As a warrior and a child
God has used you greatly
To encourage and inspire
You've remained a true friend all the while
So I will never put you on a pedestal
Cause we both know all the glory is the Lord's
And I'll be there to pray that He will keep you by
His grace
And I always will remind you to be seeking His face
The
song concludes with these touching words:
Should it ever come your time to mourn
I will weep with you
And every single time you win
I'm celebrating, too
Oh, I will celebrate with you
I will be an open
Door that you can count on
Anywhere you are
Anywhere you've been
I will be an honest
Heart you can depend on
I will be a faithful friend
Over
recent years my friend and I have shared our struggles, family blessings and
family crises, heartaches, defeats and victories, encouraging each other to
celebrate every win and to keep on “seeking His face.” I confess that I am
profoundly thankful for a friend who has “taken the time to be my brother” and
to remain an “open door” that I can count on in any circumstance.
Life is
not made rich by money and possessions. It is made rich by having faithful
friends you can count on. If you have one or two, give thanks and do your best
to be a faithful friend until the good Lord finishes “all He’s started in you.”
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