“Tychicus is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work.”
Colossians 4:7
One afternoon, two boys collected a bucket of nuts underneath a great tree inside a cemetery on the outskirts of town. When the bucket was full, they sat down out of sight to divide the spoils."One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me," said one boy, as the other watched intently. Their bucket was so full that some of the nuts had spilled out and rolled toward the fence. It was nearly dark, and another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me." The boy with the bike knew just what was happening, and his face went ghostly white. "Oh my," he shuddered. "It's Satan and the God dividing up souls at the cemetery!"He jumped back on his bike and rode off, desperately looking for a friend. Just around the bend he met an old, scowling man who hobbled along with a cane. “Come with me, quick!" said the boy. "You won't believe what I heard! Satan and God are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls!" The man said, "Beat it, kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk?" When the boy insisted, the man hobbled to the cemetery. When they arrived at the fence, they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."Ready to have a little fun, the old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' the truth. Let's go inside, and see if we can see Satan himself!"The child was horrified, but the old man was already taking his first step toward the gate. Then they heard, "Okay, that's the last of them. That's all. Now let's go get those two nuts by the fence, and we'll be done." Needless to say, the old guy made it back to town five minutes ahead of the boy! More than likely, he was looking for a friend.In Colossians 4:7-18, the Apostle Paul had an amazing group of friends. They loved him, they comforted him, they were faithful to him, they served him, they did ministry with him. Yes! They loved Paul and he loved them, even while being bound in chains to a Roman soldier. Most people today are constantly looking for genuine, authentic friends. Some people are in desperate need of just one friend. At times we all stand frozen with fear by the “cemetery fence,” so to speak, when life shakes us to the core. At times our legs don't support and a healthy heart nearly breaks. At times we can barely muster a prayer, and when we do, it's a plea for a friend.I’m reminded that “One must be a friend to have a friend.” A true friend, an authentic friend is committed, loving, serving, faithful, patient, enduring, accountable, steadfast and caring. I remind and encourage you today to be that very kind of friend to others—and search for those characteristics in others when choosing your friends. Because as the saying goes, “Show me your five closest friends—and I’ll show you who you’ll become in five years.”Love God! Love People! Live Sent!Be Worth Being,KevinSUBSCRIBE TO "OVER THE HUMP" DEVOTIONALKevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 40 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.
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