As mentioned in my first blog post, I have some pretty great friends. And that is so true. All of my friends are extremely important to me, and each of them play such a distinct role in my life. There are some friends that I am closer with than others, and I believe that intimacy with those friends has grown as a result of true Biblical friendship. The Bible stresses real friendships they help us in so many ways! Here are just a few verses in which the Word of God addresses friendship:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
"Two people are better than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble."
Proverbs 27:17 is short, simple, and to the point. It's a great verse to memorize!
"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."
Proverbs 13:20
"Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble."
I love these verses. Not only do they show the importance of friendship in itself, but also show the importance of the type of friends we have.
While it is important for us to be aware of those that we hang around, we also have to be aware of the type of friend that we ourselves are being. Here are some simple ways to become a better friend and form a Godly relationship with others:
1. Listen
Listening is extremely important in any relationship we have; how can we know each others' troubles and thoughts without actually listening to them? You'd be surprised how much you can learn about a person by just listening to what they have to say.
2. Throw Away Your Pride
There's one thing that I think hinders most friendships jealousy. When you feel any tinge of jealousy come over you, I encourage you to pray and repent to God. He hears you. He feels you. He can help you with whatever insecurity you're going through. And He wants to help you with jealousy in your friendships too.
3. Talk About God
God is so glorious and so greatly to be praised. Instead of spending your time gossiping or talking about irrelevant things with your friends, talk about God. I promise that time spent talking about God will not be wasted.
4. Be Encouraging
As mentioned in the Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 verses, one of the reasons God loves friendship is because it can help a person stay afloat. That being said, we must be encouraging. Discouraging thoughts fill the world today, and encouragement is scarce. Encourage your friends. Help them not only when they're down, but at all times.
5. Sacrifice
Whether it is sacrificing time or sacrificing being able to go to the place you want to, sacrifice is big in friendships. Sacrifice lets your friend know that they are more important than other things in this world that call for your attention. After all, people matter more than any worldly thing. In John 15:12-13, Jesus says, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." Jesus gave the biggest sacrifice ever to us. He laid his life down for you. It will mean so much to your friend to sacrifice one thing for them.
6. Random Acts of Kindness
Leave a note in an unexpected place for them to read. You have to power to make someone's day better, so why not use that power? Your friendship will improve greatly by practicing small random acts of kindness.
This week, I challenge you to become a better friend. You may already be an awesome friend, but there is always room for improvement. Pray that the Lord will convict you in any area that you have been slacking. Pray that He will guide you to be a better friend and that He will help you choose the right friends. Pray that our friendships will not only be for ourselves, but also that they will be all for His glory.
~em
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A few days ago, I went to the park with a few of my younger cousins and my grandparents. It's this cute little park that has a big fountain for the kids to play in. They absolutely love it.
As I sat in a chair intently watching my two cousins jump around in the water, another family came to join us a mother who looked like she had just gotten off work and her two children. Her children promptly ran into the fountain, embracing the cool water on this hot Georgia summer day. The mother went about ten feet away to sit on a bench. She began to check her phone, possibly answering emails or maybe just checking Facebook. The two kids stood at the edge of the fountain, calling out to their mother, wanting her to watch them run through the fountain that is like a skyscraper to a little kid. But the mother didn't look up. They called again and again; eventually, the mother heard them and looked up from her phone. One of her kids said, with the biggest smile on his face, "Watch this!" The mother sat at the bench and said, "Hold on. One minute." She looked back down at her phone. The kids waited. After a minute or two, the mother got up from the bench, and she lovingly watched her joyful children.
Sometimes I feel like the kids.
I call out to God, and I feel like he can't hear me. But the difference between the mother in the story and our God is that God does hear us. He hears us even when we don't necessarily want Him to.
1 John 5:14 says, "And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him."
Psalm 34:17 says, "The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles."
The Lord does hear you. He hears me. But just like the mother told her children to wait, we might have to wait for something from God. Just because He calls us to wait does not mean He doesn't hear our request or our cry out to Him. In fact, the Bible says that those who wait on Him are blessed.
Isaiah 30:18 says, "So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help."
When waiting for the Lord, we must be patient like the children of the mother were. Our attitudes should be directed by the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Patience is key when waiting on the Lord.
Sometimes I feel like the mother.
The Lord calls out to me, but I am too occupied to hear. I get distracted easily, diverting my attention from the Lord and what he has to say to me. He wants me to be still to experience His presence.
Check out Luke 10:38-42.
To summarize this short story, Jesus visits two sisters. Their names are Mary and Martha. As soon as Jesus enters their door, Mary is at His feet, listening to what He taught. Her sister had a very different response to Jesus' presence.
Verse 40 says, "But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing."
Distracted. That word definitely describes people today. Just like the mother at the park was too distracted from her phone to hear from her kids, we too get too distracted to hear from God. Social media, technology, clothes, and pretty much anything else tries to grab our attention these days. These things may not be particularly bad, but compared to Jesus we shouldn't be so occupied with these distractions that we do not lose our eagerness to sit at His feet.
Jesus says in verse 42, "There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."
Let us be more like Mary eager to hear from the Lord and experience Him in this world that calls us to be more like Martha.
~em
This past week, I had the opportunity to go to a summer camp with my church. It's a camp in Elijay, GA called Camp Highland. I've gone there the past two summers, and I just have to say that it is seriously one of the best places ever.
At Camp Highland, there is a ton of emphasis on God. Of course, right? It's a Christian camp. But here, they take it to a whole new level. There are no watches (except for the counselors), no mirrors, and no phones. You might be wondering how these things or better yet, lack of things relate to God.
First of all, the notion of the campers not having watches allows us to live in the present. Think about all the moments you look at the time, and then immediately feel stressed because you're late for an event. God created time for us, but He did not create it to stress us out. Sarah Young, the author of the Jesus Calling devotional book says it this way, "For you, time is a protection; you're a frail creature who can handle only twenty-four-hour segments of life. Time can also be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly in your mind. Learn to master time, or it will be your master." When we allow time to consume us, we hinder our ability to go throughout the day worry-free and carelessly. But the Lord calls us to live this way: without worries about what is to come.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" If God says that His plans will give us a future and that they will not end in disaster, shouldn't we trust that? Everything God says is true. His plans he has for us all are great; we just have to trust that. To start trusting His plans, I encourage you to live in the present. Don't worry about the time or what's to come. God's got you.
The next thing that Camp Highland does not have is mirrors. To you, this might seem like going a little bit overboard, but it's actually really great. God sees us all as beautiful. In our world today, physical appearance dominates so many people's minds. But God says this: "Charm is deceptive and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised." (Proverbs 31:30). God doesn't look at our physical appearance. He looks at our hearts, our motives, our actions. Instead of focusing on physical appearance, we should be in touch with our hearts in order to grow closer to God.
Finally, the last big distraction in our world is technology. Forms of media from all over are constantly calling out to us; they desire our attention. The world around us and the Kingdom of God are two totally different things. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Wouldn't you rather be immersed in the Kingdom of God, experiencing His truth, His love, and His kindness instead of becoming wrapped up in the chains of media? The Bible warns against gossip and other practices of this world. Romans 12:2 reminds us not to be like the world: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." To know and learn about His will, we mustn't copy the world.
This week, I challenge you to disconnect from the world. Don't worry about time or physical appearance or media. God wants all of you, but in order to give yourself all to Him, you must break the ties of this world.
~em
