Godly Friendships

How are Christian friendships different from others?

David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 20)

Jonathan’s willingness to do whatever David wanted (Philippians 2:3-4)
Jonathan loved David as he loved himself (20:17) even when his father, Saul, hated David (Proverbs 17:17a)
David wept when he had to leave Jonathan (20:41)

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." [1 Thess. 5:11]

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." [Heb. 3:13]

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." [Heb. 10:25]

God calls us to be encouraging one another DAILY.

Sometimes encouragements from friends can be painful

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Proverbs 27:5-6)

Paul and his “Church Friends”

"I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." [Col. 2:1]

"...He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured." [Col. 4:12]

Paul loved his “church friends.” He loved them so much to spread the Good News about Jesus to people and really disciple them!! Paul also prayed for his “church friends.” As Christian brothers and sisters, we should be praying for one another DAILY.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." [John 15:13]

Directing Your Thoughts

The following is an e-mail from my mom to her daughters this morning. Mom is so wise! So in love with the Lord!

Philippians 4:8 encourages us to direct our thinking. It says, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Directing our thoughts is difficult at times. When we are surrounded by the negativity of this world, when our circumstances are effected by the frustrations of others, when we are fearful or angry or worried, directing our thoughts can be a challenge. Yet God knew we would have times like this and tells us to think about that which is admirable, honorable, and worthy of praise. This takes effort! Directing our thinking is not denying the challenge that is before us, we acknowledge it before God. We are simply choosing; however, to change our thoughts to that which is worthy.

In doing so we are reminded of His great and infinite love for us. His mercy and grace are ever-surrounding and enveloping. There are may be times when we feel that we do not have the energy to ask God to help us direct our thoughts. Let's trust Him that because He knows and sees all things that He will see our need and bring someone or something our way to remind us. Perhaps in His mercy, He will simply change our thoughts through the smile of another.

Monday Bible Study recap

Sibling Relationships
“How good and pleasant is it when brothers live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16)
· God did not look with favor on Cain’s offering
· God did look with favor on Abel’s offering
· Cain became jealous of Abel
· Cain allowed his jealousy to get so strong that he killed Abel
· Cain’s jealousy toward Abel caused him to be a “restless wonderer on the earth” (v. 12)

Miriam, Aaron, and Moses (Numbers 12)
· God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10)
· God used Aaron’s voice to speak (Exodus 4:14-16)
· Moses was faithful to God
· Aaron and Miriam got together and talked about Moses behind his back
· Aaron and Miriam became jealous of Moses
· Their jealousy toward Moses caused Miriam to become leprous (v. 10)

Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
· The younger brother foolishly left home and spent all his money
· The older brother worked hard and obeyed his father
· The younger brother came home and repented
· The father forgave the younger son and threw him a great banquet
· The older brother became jealous of the younger brother
· The older brother became angry and didn’t go to the younger brothers banquet (v. 28)

Cain, Aaron, Miriam, and the older brother were all jealous of their siblings. They wanted something the other sibling had. When they let their jealousy turn into anger, God scolded and disciplined them.

The older brother had a hard time forgiving his younger brother. He didn’t see his younger brothers’ sins. We want to find fault in our siblings. We know our siblings’ weak spots, so it’s easy to make them angry. Sometimes we even try to correct them and tell them what to do or what they’re doing wrong.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

God wants us to live in unity with our brothers and sisters. (Psalm 133:1)

Living in unity
· Loving our siblings (Hebrews 13:1)
· Humility (Philippians 2:3-4)
· Forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32)
· Encourage your siblings to love God (Hebrews 10:24-25)
· Pray for your siblings (James 5:16)

Discussion Questions

How can you love your sibling(s) more? If you don’t have any brothers or sisters, how can you love your brothers and sisters in Christ more?

What are some ways that you can consider your sibling(s) better than you? What are your siblings’ interests? How can you love them by being interested in they want to do, even if you don’t like what they want to do?

Are there any grudges that you’re holding against your sibling(s)? If so, what do you need to do to forgive them?

How can you encourage your sibling(s) to love God more?

Acts 20:22-24

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.” ~Acts 20:22-24

Qualities that speak to my life in these verses:

1) trusting God vs. 22

2) perseverance vs. 23

3) strength vs. 23

4) humility vs. 24a

5) endurance vs. 24b

6) testify vs. 24c

Trusting God. “…compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.” Being in a military family means we move all the time. Before every move, I have to remind myself that God knows what He’s doing. It’s hard to trust in God when we don’t know what will happen next. I never know what will happen to me and my family in each new place that we live, but that teaches me to trust God more and more each time. Trusting God is something that He teaches us in time.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Perseverance. Verse 23, “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warn me that prison and hardships are facing me.” Wherever I go, there will be times of hardship and times that I will be persecuted for my faith. Lucus and Green said, “Perseverance is willingness to put up with bad things because of the promise of a better future.” What does this mean? Bad things WILL come our way, but God wants us to persevere through these hard times, even though it’s hard to do. Philippians 1:21 says, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” This means that when we live here on earth, we live in Jesus and for Jesus. When we physically die on this earth, we will eternally be in heaven with God. The Christian life is not easy for me to live – for any one of you to live – but how could we choose any other way to live, but for a Holy God?

Strength. Along with perseverance comes the ability to receive strength from the LORD. Each time I move to a new place, God never fails to give me the strength to get through. My family lived in Chicago for seven years. The last year there, my dad got a call to go overseas to Saudi Arabia. A year later, after he was home, the Army told us we were moving to Fort Hood, Texas the coming summer. Once we got there, my dad got another call to go overseas to Iraq – this time for 15 months. Those three years of my life were really hard to go through, but by God’s loving grace, His strength got me and my family through. God also used this to show me how to love Him more and how to trust Him more. Another way God makes us strong is through our weaknesses, like in 2 Corinthians 12:10.

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~2 Corinthians 12:10

Humility. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me…” Humility is something that I am no pro at. It is something that I’m learning…and will always be working on. I can learn this by daily dying to myself and asking myself why I do what I do. What does it mean to die to one’s self? Does this mean literally dying? No, absolutely not. It means to try and live for God and give Him the glory instead of doing things for me and giving myself the glory. If I tell people I’m living for Jesus, but do things for my own selfish gain – which I do sometimes – then that is living proof that I should be in prayer and striving to uplift the Name of Jesus more in my daily life. Maybe it simply means that I shouldn’t talk as much as I do. Maybe it means I should humble myself and talk to someone about Jesus that might not understand what it means to love God. When someone is humble, they are able to love God more fully.

Endurance. Verse 24b, “…if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me…” Wherever I go, or whatever trials come, the Lord calls me to “finish the race,” to endure those trials. He calls all of us to finish the race and to endure. What is endurance? Endurance is like strength that goes on and on and on. We can endure because the Lord gives us strength to persevere in order that we might trust Him more with humility. Where can we endure? Where can we have strength? Where can we persevere? Where can we trust? Where can we be humble? Everywhere that we go – school, work, hanging out with friends, eating dinner, playing sports, doing homework, telling someone about Jesus, reading God’s Word, praying. This gives us hope and confidence of that eternal life in heaven praising God forever!!

Testify. The last part of verse 24 reads, “…-the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.” As a follower of Christ, a Christian, that task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace is required. Sometimes we don’t know why we go through what we go through, but God puts us through everything for a reason. Maybe it is so that you can relate to what someone else is going through, and then tell them about Jesus!! Just like we have testimonies about our own lives and stuff that we go through, Jesus wants His testimony told to everyone in the world!! Jesus says in Matthew 28, we are to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus tells us to tell His testimony to everyone.

This is my prayer: that God will teach me how to endure because the strength He gives me to persevere in order that I might trust Him more with humility, and then tell everyone about His love – through my words, actions, and the way I live.