11.25.09
Posted in Bible at 12:33 am by Administrator
One of the components of effective discipleship is surrounding ourselves with good friends. Friends that will give us support and not cause us to fall off the path of righteousness. Let us however not confuse ‘support’ with ‘appeasement’. Many of us want true friends but are not able to handle constructive criticism or honesty that is not favorable to us.
Proverbs 27:6 states “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy”, and verse 9 states“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense”. (NLT)
True friends should be able to ‘check’ each other without animosity, without fear of retribution, and without consequence. True friends should also be tactful and empathic when dealing with each other.
Several foundation blocks must exist in order to have this type of friendship:
* Love: 1 Corinthians 13 says it all. Verses 4-7 states: Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice with wrong doing- but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Once love is in the foundation, we can rest assured that no matter what our friends say to us, we know that it comes from a place of love.
* Humility: Ephesians 4:2 says “Be completely humble and gentle:, be patient-bearing with one another in love.- Love should also tear down the walls of pride between friends. Regardless of age, status etc, humility is a characteristic of true friendship.
* Respect: Having respect for individuals is not only the quality of a good christian, but is also a quality of good up-bringing, so how can we say we have a true friend and not respect that person as an individual. Furthermore, we must respect the bond of friendship and everything that it stands for.
Ecclesiates 4:9-10 states “ Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up”.
Criticism/advice/correction from a true friend helps us up when we are falling, and how sad it is for a believer to have no friend of like-faith to help them during those times.
Hebrews 3:13 states “ Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today”.
So share your thoughts, that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
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11.10.09
Posted in Bible at 9:16 pm by Administrator
Many of us have read about the story of Caleb and Joshua in Numbers 13 and 14. The Lord instructed Moses to send some men out to spy the land of Canaan which He had promised to them and to come back with a report. At the end of the 40 days, the men returned and confirmed that the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, but the people of the land were very strong and the cities were very large and fortified and based on what they saw, there was no way that they could defeat those people. Caleb however had a different perspective. It says in Numbers 13:30 “Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.” In Number 14, after the Israelites started to complain and rebel against the Lord because of ‘how their situation looked to them’, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before them and both Joshua and Caleb tore their clothing saying “ The land through which we passed as scouts is exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord, neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, but the Lord is with us.”
When the Lord asked Moses to send spies to look at the Land it was not because He did not know what they were going to see, it was because He wanted the Israelites to put His power, might and ability above their obvious circumstances. Caleb and Joshua tried to get the Israelites to see that as long as God was with them, no matter how grim the situation looked, He, not themselves, would get them through it.
When we Christians find ourselves going through hard, painful, bleak and trying times, we have to remember that we serve a God that sees the end from the beginning, and even though we don’t know how it’s going to turn out, He does. So we have to focus on what Caleb said in that “If the Lord delights in us, He will give it to us.” As long as we continue to obey God and walk in His ways during those hard times, He will bring us to our ‘promised land’, a place that is good for us. This is His word and our God honors His word. This is why the Lord said in Num. 14:24 “But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me FULLY, I will bring into the land into which he went and his descendants shall possess it.”
The bible is full of promises made by God to those who will obey Him and keep His word. There is no problem that is too big for God, and the only thing that limits His power is our lack of faith.
Brethren, let us pray for that ‘different spirit’ like Caleb had, and commit to following God FULLY. This way we do not need to despair over the size of our problem, but instead put all our confidence in the size of our God!
Please share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
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