Best Friends

Best friends are great. Minutes after I'm dead, my best friend has strict instructions to go into my house and remove all of the furry, green items in my refrigerator that resemble Pietri dishes. She will also go through my underwear drawer and throw out any suspicious looking items that may have a rather "worn" look to them, and finally scrub down those shower walls!



I may be exaggerating a bit, but you get the picture - a true friend is someone you can trust and rely on to be there for you in the good times as well as the bad. In keeping with the theme of David this week, his "best friend" was Jonathan, the son of King Saul and the heir to the throne of Israel.


We read in 1 Samuel 18:1-4, "After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt." In verse 3-4 it states he took off his robe, tunic and even his word, bow and belt and gave it to David. If we look closely here, you will see this is the symbolic gesture from Jonathan to David that he has given up his rightful place on the throne and passed it to David. Handing over his robe and tunic, signifies that he is willing to give up his crown to someone he believes is the better "man" for the job. You may be the "next in line" and feel you have earned the right to hold that position, job or ministry, but God may be asking you to sacrifice what you want for someone else who is better suited to fill that role. David already knew he was anointed to be King, but I believe this was a test from the Lord to check Jonathan's heart.


How to we get our hearts ready to do this? In verses 1-2 we see the key to letting go, "Jonathan became ONE in spirit with David." This means he loved David so much he did not care who received the credit. Only the Holy Spirit can knit together that kind of sacrificial love. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends," John 15:13. He laid down his life for us, we in turn can lay down our desires for another person to succeed.


Being a true leader is one who can recognize that someone else may be better equipped to do the job than you. In your quest to finish the race that God has set before you, I know that along the way the Lord will give you at least one opportunity for you to be able to help guide someone else on their journey too. I challenge you today to seek the Lord in prayer and ask Him to show you if there is a David in your life who needs your robe.