Here's an excerpt from my book, Searching for Wisdom:
First Samuel gives us one of the best examples of friendship in the Bible, the friendship between David and Jonathan. Their relationship rested upon a solid spiritual foundation.
David and Jonathan’s friendship captures the type of love you should see in your spiritual friendships.
Sadly, death caused a temporary disruption to David and Jonathan’s friendship. Jonathan lost his life in battle alongside his father. When David heard about Jonathan’s death, he composed a funeral song to pay tribute to his friend:
Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies dead on the hills. How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women! (2 Samuel 1:25-26, NLT)
God will provide us with lasting spiritual friendships as he did David. And the hope of our salvation guarantees we will enjoy them for the rest of eternity.
For more than 15 years, my close friends and I drove to North Carolina to spend a week at the beach. Over the years, I’ve built incredible memories there. But by far, my first trip stands out as the most memorable.
One evening, my friends and I were on the deck overlooking the ocean with cold beverages. We were laughing and telling stories as the sun set. As we were talking, something unusual happened. I felt surrounded by God’s love as I sat there with my close friends. In that moment, I felt real joy and contentment. It was as if God was giving me a glimpse of eternity.
For all those years, I assumed the scenery made our vacation special. Each year was the same. We would arrive at the beach after driving through the night. The front door would swing open. We would drop our bags, rush to the back deck and look at the spectacular view of the ocean.
This year, we did something different. We vacationed at a lake house in Tennessee. To my surprise, God gave me another one of these rare experiences.
“I’m most excited about who will occupy heaven, not what it will contain.”
This experience helped crystallize for me what will bring us the most joy in heaven. I feel certain God will create stunning landscapes and scenery for us on the new earth. And I’m excited to see what they will look like. But now, I’m most excited about who will occupy heaven, not what it will contain.
If you would like to read more, you can purchase my book here.