All tagged friends
Our inward character is indicative of the success which the teaching and presence of Jesus Christ has had on our lives. The redemptive and life changing power of Jesus works within us to alter our character and produce a more faithful, righteous, and pure person. Is this what we see occurring within ourselves, or has the fallen world become our friend, and influencer?
Who have we prayed for today? Does the heart of an intercessor live within us? Are we hoarding the atonement of Christ, or sharing its realization with others? These are the questions to ask ourselves this morning.
We live in a time of reconciliation, a time when we are being called almost hourly to make intercession through prayer for those who are different from us. Whether it be a difference in righteousness, finances, race, color, nationality, or faith... interceding is of God and through it we are taught to love one another.
What kind of friend do we have in Jesus? Is He one of those friends whose mouth is filled with honey, and who tells us only those things He knows we want to hear, or is He the kind of friend who delivers the hard truths to us? Is Jesus someone we trust with our darkest sun because He will keep it to Himself, and give us a hand as we struggle to overcome it, or is He a fair weather friend who only stands by us when we make Him look good? Well, Jesus is the truest of friends who counsels us, listens to our troubles, and helps… He has done this even when it cost Him His life… but if we reverse these questions, and ask what kind of friend we are to Him, what do we say? Are we His true friends? Do we give Him our lives in exchange for his friendship?
As we pursue our faith we find that there are two basic types of people we can associate ourselves with; there are those who make us stronger in our belief, and those who dull our righteousness, or lead us into temptation… thus causing our faith to falter. So who do we surround ourselves with? Who do we call our friends, and are they like whet stones that sharpen us in righteousness, and faith to a fine edge, or hard rocks that we are swung against, and who dull us? Who is it that we call friend, and who calls us their friend?
Chuck Savage is a brother in Christ that I have loved dearly for many years, and he sent me a card yesterday. There was nothing unusual about that because he sends me one every single week like clockwork. You see he lives in a distant city, and yet our friendship survives the miles. Each week I receive a brief handwritten card from him in which he tells me a bit about his family, his life, and something he found uplifting about one of my devotional messages… which he reads religiously. He is without a doubt one of the finest, and most godly men I know, and he is my friend. Even though most would say that we are unlikely friends, and have very little in common, our friendship, and brotherly love for one another, survives.
As Christians there is a very critical question we should ask ourselves, and how we answer it can very well determine the future of our souls. We should ask: “How do I chose my friends?”. Of all those who surround us as we wander the earth, who are those that we find worthy to be called our friends? The Bible speaks a great deal about friends and friendship, and this is for good reason… whether in good or bad behavior, we begin to reflect them, and they to reflect us.
How strong, and fervently, do we intercede for others? Do we save our most sincere prayers for ourselves, and our family, while praying lesser blessings, or asking for things not quite as grand, when it comes to those around us? What about praying for our enemies; can we bring ourselves to pray God’s blessings upon them at all? Can we pray for others as sincerely as Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus?
As we choose our friends, are they righteous Christians that serve God each day, or do we choose friends that give little thought to the Lord? Are we more concerned with having moral friends who live for, and chase after, the seemingly wholesome things of the world, or are we drawn to Spiritual Giants... Saints... the children of God, who seek Him above all else? Moral companions might not lead us into worldly trouble, like evil people would, but they won’t help us enter into the gates of heaven, the presence of God, or walk with us in His ways. Friends like these won’t increase our faith. We must choose our company wisely, and find our delight in those who are led by the Spirit.