by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Our Friend Who Sticks Closer than a Brother

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

My grandpuppy, Leroy, is my hiking buddy. Nearly once a week we set off for an adventure on one of our local trails. He’s a rather smart dog. He knows when it’s time for us to set out for our weekly jaunt. His whole body is in perpetual motion as he looks me in the eyes and whines. It’s rather annoying and cute at the same time.

Sitting in the back seat he moves from side-to-side, sticking his head out the window. When we near our destination, the whining begins again. He is filled with joy as he sets out on our adventure. He loves to smell everything, to run wild, but never gets too far ahead of his grandpa. He knows I move slower than he does, so he will find shade and wait for me to catch up. Did I say that he was a smart dog?

I look forward to these four to five mile hikes with Leroy and so does he. They bind us together.

“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”
Proverbs 18:24 New Living Translation

How we long for the friend who will stick closer than a brother! In our social media culture, we have enough “friends” who will destroy our reputations; those who love nothing more than sharing juicy details of our lives with others.

How our hearts long for a friend who will keep a confidence and listen without condemnation. We want a friend who will be our hiking buddy on this journey filled with rocks, roots, and precarious situations.

What a gift when we find such a friend!

Such a friend has found us. Jesus is that friend who keeps a confidence and listens without condemnation. He walks with us on our journey filled with rocks, roots, and precarious situations. Not only does he walk with us, he is the path on which we walk (John 14:6), the path that leads to our Father’s heart.

How great it is to know that we have a life-long hiking buddy in Jesus!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado