Friends?

So, I've been listening to a RENT Pandora station for the last four or five days and at least three songs I hear on the station are from Disney movies, mostly from the 90's.  Now, if you know me at all, you know I enjoy both the music and movies immensely.  Lately, a few of the lyrics have really caught my attention and I think about them.

Today, a song from Aladdin came on (Aladdin is tied with the Lion King, in terms of my favorite Disney Movie) Friend Like Me.  If you don't know the song, I charge you to listen to it.  I have conveniently embedded it at the end of this post, too.  I think my favorite line in the song is, "You ain't never had a friend like me."  I don't really care about the double negative in this case; for some reason, it doesn't set off my English alarm.  Actually, I use the line from time to time, mostly joking.

However, the truth is, I do have a friend like you, actually much better than you Genie.  The friend is God. "[13]Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. [15] I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you" John 15:14-15 Douay-Rheims.


Genie did not create the world or really anything in it, God did.  Genie also did not die on the cross and rise again, Jesus did.  In fact, we cannot force the triune God to do anything against His will.  However, Genie was forced to grant Jafar power against Genie's own will.  He couldn't withhold power from Jafar because Jafar had Genies lamp.  Genie could not fight back.  On the other hand, we can't force or coerce God to do anything against His will; if we could, He wouldn't be God.  


While Jesus called His apostles friends, they still understood they needed to follow His wishes.  After all, He brought salvation and redemption to us, and was faithful to us, even after we were unfaithful to God.  God is still faithful to us to this day.  We love our family and friends, and we should love God even more; because even though family and friends do many things to support us and spend time with us, they can never take the place or responsibilities of God.  So, even though I've got a better friend than Genie, I still enjoy the movie.  Have you thanked God for the gifts He's given you today?