Good day to all, grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you ever stopped and pondered what you want in a friend?
Some people say that parents can't be friends with their young children, others
say your boss can't be your friend, young children can’t have adults for
friends, or a school educator can't be your friend. What defines a friend for
you? Through God's Word this is how He defines a true friend. Proverbs 17:17 A friend
loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 18:24 A man
with many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer
than a brother. Proverbs 27:6 Wounds
from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. John 15:13 Greater love
has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my
friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a
servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you
friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made it known to
you. You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit-fruit that will last. When I meditate on these words the Holy Spirit tells me anyone
is my friend in Christ especially our children, and all other men and women
have this possibility in Christ for me to be their friend. Proverbs 17:17- God is teaching us we will be willing to love at all
times through Christ, and anyone that is born proves this by our response to
them through our relationship no matter what they say or how they act we are
going to love at all times because He is in me given me what I need and what
they need in word and deed. We should be conscious of Him and His presence
always working in and through us, but not knowing what he is going to say and
do at all times. Not all people will love us, when you tell them the truth, but
we still love them regardless, praying and waiting until God's truth opens
their heart. Each relationship we will recognize if He is in a person or not
making each into the image of His Son which he wants all people to be. The word
adversity means hard times or misfortune. This tells us that each relationship
we have will come with hard times and misfortune and that comes for God's
purpose of molding us and shaping each one of us through his Son, some will
prove his presence through the adversity and some will not. Proverbs 18:24- God is teaching us if one has a lot of close companions
this may be an indication that they are a people pleaser or pleasing themselves
and not a God pleaser. Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that
is how their fathers treated the false prophets. There is always going to be that close friend in Christ that
sticks through anything not afraid to tell you the truth in Christ, and that
can be anyone, but God teaches us there may not be many of them. I am willing to
always be this type of friend through Christ to anyone giving them what they
need in words and actions, and listening to those that truly are not afraid of
telling me what is true about myself because they are proven to be true to themselves in
Christ. This would be a friend that is described by God when He says, Iron
sharpens iron. Proverbs 27:17 As iron
sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Wood does not sharpen wood, nor can a blind friend lead
another blind friend to the truth. Christ represents Iron, and the only one
that can see because He is truth. If both people are “iron” they both will be sharpening
each other with all He gives them to be sharpened by and be more like his image
with the Father. The sparks will continually fly and light up the world. If only one person can see the
truth, or truly is acknowledging His truth He must pass it on to the blind person so He can see for their benefit with being right with God as well as their own benefit being right with God. Unfortunately not all are willing or wanting to open their eyes to His truth, and they will remain blind until they
do. The one that can see because of what He has given them will continue to
help the blind friend have more insight to His truth as long as they are willing and wanting to see His truth. Proverbs 27:6 God is teaching us, when a friend’s actions or word
rebukes me through Christ in truth it may wound me but it is said, and done to
help me take a look at a truth I may be ignoring about myself. I may be living a lie, living in deception, or have been taught wrong. The truth my friend or what I am saying to a friend will be proven through the Holy Spirit and His word always. That to me is a
true friend, more than someone who flatters with multiple empty words or
affections that may make them feel better, or me feel better for a short time thinking it is the best thing for me, but no conviction or change in me or in them will ever occur. If I
am God’s type of friend to them in Christ I may be wounding a friend out of
love in Christ that makes them see His truth, and He can help them grow through
this wound or rebuke, and a change in them can take place because of His work in them that He has planted by His seed through me. John 15:13 Jesus is teaching us as God If we want to be His friend we have to
do what He says. That is a big if to continually follow! He will gives us all we need to continually follow if we are wanting and willing. He says the work we do
is to have faith in His Son, which His Son gives us. What we do is continually have faith in what He is giving us of Himself, and all other things will fall into place
as we follow the Spirits teachings and share those teachings with others. His
love we receive from the cross gives us faith, and hope in Him and all He gives
us takes us far beyond our natural love faith and hope in ourselves. The only way we can truly please God is to have faith in His Son through the love He gives us. John 6:28 The they
asked him, (Jesus) “What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus
answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” It truly is not about right “doing” it is about right believing,
and when you truly believe in what He freely has given us of Himself our soul
will take on a totally different purpose and meaning that is much bigger and
goes beyond ourselves and others straight to Heaven, as He begins working in
and through you for others for the building up of His kingdom. God is teaching us a true friend
in Christ puts others before himself in what they need physically, spiritually,
or emotionally. Christ describes a true friend is shown by laying down our
lives for a true friend as he did on the cross for us. When we belong to Him
their spiritual poverty comes before ourselves. He is not talking about us
dying literally for them but more about putting them before ourselves. Putting
their spiritual needs before our own, putting their physical needs before our
own, and putting their emotional needs before our own. This means we do not
keep our spiritual growth to ourselves, our physical needs to ourselves, or our
emotional needs to ourselves, we share all. This can be done in many ways
through his presence, through sharing our time in Christ with them, comforting
them, sharing our money, and continued guidance and support with words and
actions through all of what Christ has freely given us of himself, Christ always spoke and walked through the Spirit of God and because we do listen to
His teachings and commands we share with others for their benefit. He comforts us with all He gives us of Himself
so He can comfort others through all He gives us of Himself. We never keep His
words of teaching, admonishing, rebuking, encouraging, and comforting to
ourselves as well as our actions that are seen and shared working there way through
us for others. Christ would never tell a
friend something He is not doing Himself. He sure had all faith in His Heavenly
Father by His words and actions and if He is in us above all others and things
because we have fully surrendered all to Him then we will be sent into the
world as He was. God is teaching us through Christ this kind of friendship should be worked
out and proven through Christ in our families first then worked out into the
world with all people we meet every day in our lives, so all have a possibility
to be a friend to us in Christ. So the answer for me is all people any age can
be my friend in Christ. My husband, my
children, siblings, extended family, all children, all women, all men, boss or
teacher can always have the possibility of being my friend; if they are willing
in Christ I sure am! How do you describe the friend you want and you want to be? |
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