I have called you friends.
—John 15:15
Lexicographers add new words to the dictionary each year: 370 to Merriam-Webster last year.
In 2009, the number one new word was “unfriend.” Thank Mark Zuckerberg for making it possible for you to “friend” someone you’ve never met. If it doesn’t work out, you can always “unfriend” them.
Jesus had a bigger view of friendship. He said, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (Jn 15:14). “We know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commands” (1 Jn 2:3).
“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 Jn 2:6). “Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so” (Amos 3:3).
The terms of Jesus’ friendship are clear. Sign on—and don’t ever “unfriend” him.
Your best friend is actually
your second-best friend.