Have you ever had a best friend? Somebody you spent a great deal of time with, who was like family to you? My guess is that if we have, it was probably when we were young. Especially for men, it is probably a little rare for that to occur.
It has only happened to me once. When I was in the army, I was assigned with another chaplain for about seven years. We had the same job and worked together. We trained together with the Army, often going on deployments together. Our families spent every holiday together. In fact, most weekends our families shared a meal. We would often go out for a movie with our wives. We shared a chapel together. We did Bible studies together. We played sports together. We had a card night every week with other soldiers and were always partners. We ate lunch together at least a couple of times a week.
Everybody knew we were best friends. Not only did we spend all that time together and got to know each other very well, we told everybody we were best friends. We reminded them of that fact if they didn’t already know. Often, if people saw one of us alone, they would ask where our friend was.
It was great having a friend like that. I am jealous of people who have such a friendship. I am pretty sure people were jealous of my friend and me–even if they thought we were weird and spent too much time together.
In Revelation 2-3, Jesus writes a letter to seven different churches. In each letter to each church, Jesus tells them what will happen if they overcome. In these chapters, the overcomer is the believer who pleases the Lord, who walks in obedience to the Lord through the Spirit. In each case the Lord tells them that the overcomer will be rewarded in some special way.
These rewards are described in tantalizing ways. Scholars have debated for centuries what these rewards will entail. For example, for one church the Lord says the overcomer will receive a white stone with a new name on it (Rev 2:17). This is going to be some kind of special recognition and privilege that the overcoming Christian will experience. But we cannot be sure exactly what receiving one of these special stones will mean. But we are left with the thought: I hope the Lord gives me one of those stones!
To another church, the Lord says the overcomer will walk with the Lord in white. In addition, He will “confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (3:4-5). All believers will be in the Kingdom, but here is a special promise. What will it mean to walk with the Lord in white? This is some kind of special privilege.
While, once again, we don’t know what it will involve in all its aspects, it seems to me that it will mean a special closeness with the Lord. It seems it will mean spending time “with” Him in a unique way, as we walk “with” Him. The Lord will also, in some way, proclaim that intimacy to His Father and the angels.
In my simplistic mind it seems that the Lord is saying that the overcomer will have a relationship with Him that might be described by what we call being best friends. They will spend time together. And He will let others know of that special bond that exists between them. Everyone in the Kingdom will know it.
All believers are children of God. All believers have eternal life. All believers will be with the Lord forever. But wouldn’t it be great to be one of His best friends? And wouldn’t it be great to hear Him say so?
