IT'S IN YOU

One of my close friends, Victor, (I think he has other interests) recently asked me, ‘what is your description of Love?’. Well, for me Love was being self-sacrificing, a no-secret-status between two parties, from being merely friendly to brotherly affection....

‘No!’, he said. ‘I meant between a man and a woman?!’. Taking a moment to think about it, ‘Yea’ I said,‘its still comes to the same thing in every case; we would be self-sacrificing and do anything for those we truly love...’

Today’s lesson brings to view Jesus’s expression of Love. What was the bond between him and his disciples? What is his relationship with humans today? He no longer sees us as servants or merely decaying mortals, but FRIENDS; friendly enough to tell us the secrets of God through written words (John 15:15); friendly enough to die for us (John 15:13); to pray for us (John 17: 9, 20); friendly enough to never want to leave us alone (John 17:23,26)

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends”, Jesus said.

Some people call each other baby, honey, sweetie but lack relationships with true demonstration of love; JESUS has simplified it, so I’d need you to contemplate the implications of becoming Jesus's friend and accept His call to union with Him, his lifestyle (with the twelve and us all) is a living testament. Friendship with Jesus produces healthy, maturing Christians in our homes, at job, in church, in our country and the world at large.

Share God’s Love today, it’s in you

IT'S IN YOU

One of my close friends, Victor, (I think he has other interests) recently asked me, ‘what is your description of Love?’. Well, for me Love was being self-sacrificing, a no-secret-status between two parties, from being merely friendly to brotherly affection....

‘No!’, he said. ‘I meant between a man and a woman?!’. Taking a moment to think about it, ‘Yea’ I said, ‘its still comes to the same thing in every case; we would be self-sacrificing and do anything for those we truly love...’

Today’s lesson brings to view Jesus’s expression of Love.  What was the bond between him and his disciples? What is his relationship with humans today? He no longer sees us as servants or merely decaying mortals, but FRIENDS; friendly enough to tell us the secrets of God through written words (John 15:15); friendly enough to die for us (John 15:13); to pray for us (John 17: 9, 20); friendly enough to never want to leave us alone (John 17:23,26)

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends”, Jesus said.

Some people call each other baby, honey, sweetie but lack relationships with true demonstration of love; JESUS has simplified it, so I’d  need you to contemplate the implications of becoming Jesus's friend and accept His call to union with Him, his lifestyle (with the twelve and us all) is a living testament. Friendship with Jesus produces healthy, maturing Christians in our homes, at job, in church, in our country and the world at large.

 

Share God’s Love today, it’s in you

MY FRIEND'S & I

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul....

Horatio G. Spafford composed this song while on a ship that was near the spot at sea where his four daughters perished. How could it be “well” for Spafford in his grief?

The value of close friendships is especially important in time of grief. Grief makes life difficult for even the strongest person. Support during the difficult days following the death of a loved one becomes vital. Close friends can readily provide this needed support. Greif reminds us that we need intimate friendships. How poor our lives are if we have the heartaches alone. Friends do not make the pain and sense of loss go away, but they do make it more bearable.

Everyone today seems to live by crowded, hectic schedules. This is all the more reason for us to place our friends high on our list of priorities. Time made for friends will add joy to our lives as well as to their. “No man is an island, thus life’s road is better travelled in the company of friends than alone”.

Recognize the great value friendship holds for you, and then make the effort to build good solid friendships. We depend on friendships. Life is more enjoyable with friends. However, there are people who question the importance of friendships. They see themselves as too strong to need the strength of others.

The closeness that breeds friendship begins with a heart and home that are open to friendship. To have friends, you must be a friend. To take these friendships to a deeper level, one needs to open his or her life to people with whom they want to have friendship. Those who remain aloof from others find it difficult to develop deep friendships. A person who is willing to listen will find it easier to make friends. Developing a friendship should be a priority even at the cost of leaving some things undone so we can give our attention to friends.

Today’s Questions:

1.        What was wrong in what Martha was doing to that of Mary?

2.       In our own way, how do we comfort a friend in grief?

Friendship requires us to make choices. Sometimes, it can be hard to make the best choice we can to strengthen a friendship. Often our head, our sense of duty and obligation can cause us to ignore our heart that recognizes that spending time with a friend is more important than getting certain things done.  

Think about your closest friends. Do they know you cherish them and their friendship? Find ways this week to let your friends know how you feel about them and how much you appreciate them. Each of these friends is a precious gift from the Author of friendship – Jesus.

 

Scorpion, my friend

I read this story from a friend’s Facebook wall:

 
“An old man saw a drowning scorpion and decided to save it. Each time the man tried to pick the scorpion up, the scorpion will sting the old man.  It didn’t stop the man from trying to help the scorpion. He continued to attempt to pick up the scorpion and the scorpion would do the same. A young boy who was observing told the old man to let the scorpion be since it would not stop to sting, but the old man replied the boy: ‘it is in the scorpion’s nature to sting and it’s in my nature to save it’. Then the man used a leaf to pick up the scorpion to safety.”

Most times we think our relationships are not working out, we may have misdiagnosed. Maybe we have been the scorpions or we have not tried enough to save the scorpion despite the stinging. Maybe we have been assuming wrongly, maybe we have not said the right words yet, maybe we still nurture the wound from a previous sting, maybe we have been not sticking around long enough. How far are you willing to go to ensure that it works, how strong are you willing to push?

From our today’s lesson, our imperfections do not have to spell the end of our relationship with the greatest Friend of all. Our friendship with Him can continue and it can grow stronger. When one friend fails another, it can be painful thing for both people. This is where most friendships come to an end.

No friendship is perfect. Earthly friends sometimes fail, but good friends do not discard one another because of imperfection. Neither does Jesus. He is the perfect example of a friend as described in Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times,…” (NIV). One whose love is loyal and constant, and who does not leave us when thing become unpleasant. His friendship assures us that He is more than a fair-weather friend. When hard times come, He will be with us and help us through them.

Friendship calls for the realisation of who our friends are. It is hard to enjoy close friendship without recognising who a person is. Discovering that a friend has been less than truthful with us about who he or she is can put a strain on the friendship. We expect friends to be honest with us, if not trusting a friend is difficult. This is also true in our friendship with Jesus. If we say He is our friend, we must understand who He is and allow this recognition to shape our response to Him. Only when we have this understanding can we really enjoy the close friendship He offers.

Peter and his friendship with Jesus show us that in spite of our imperfections, Christ invites us to still be friends with Him. (Matthew 14:24-33, 16:13-19 and John 21:4-19). As Peter did, we must first return to Jesus. Then we must do the thing we once failed to do – we must commit ourselves to following him faithfully at whatever cost. 

Playing Dirty

During my secondary school days, a few of my ‘FRIENDS’ and I formed a small group with the sole purpose of winning election into school prefect positions. 

I learnt a lot from that small group. We had a simple agreement on “power sharing formula” – contest this time, I will support you, you will step aside for me next election. It seemed perfect when it was made. We all agreed. We all signed. We all supported. But when the stepping aside time came, you could guess what happened...playing dirty, you see!

This was not the kind of friendship Jesus had with John the beloved.

Think about friendships that you enjoy and the intimate nature of friendship may become clear. You probably share things with your friends that you would not share with strangers or even your siblings. You may have shared things in confidence with a close friend that you would not want others to know. By nature, friendship is an intimate, personal relationship between people who trust each other. This was the kind of friendship the disciples found in Jesus, one devoid of betrayals and unfaithfulness.

Friends lay down their lives for each other in many ways. In addition to offering financial help, it may involve taking time out of a busy schedule to listen to a friend who needs to talk. It may involve sharing our time to attend an event with a friend or giving ourselves in a number of other ways. When we do these things, we reflect the love of Christ. We also show friendship in a way that is more than just words. Our sacrifice actions prove the sincerity of our friendship.

If you have come to faith in Christ, let His love be seen in your personal relationships. Instead of merely make friends for yourself, make them for Jesus as well. Through friendship, point your friend to the Saviour. Realise that both types of friendships – with other people and with the Lord – are closely related. Consider ways you can develop a closer relationship with Christ and seek to show His love. Never take the value of friendship lightly. Treasure your friendships and try to develop new ones.

Work at being a true friend. Hook up with Jesus. Stay Hooked to Him.