Friend

HEY FRIEND  

            If you would be loved, love and be lovable. -Franklin

Proverbs 18:24, A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

            I often start off a text message by saying, “Hey Friend”. It’s a desire of mine to put a smile on that friend’s face. It is my way of being friendly and sharing a tad bit of the love of Jesus!

            When Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary, He was not only being friendly, He was displaying His love greater than anyone ever could! That glorious day He gave His life so that anyone who repents and trusts Him as Saviour could be saved! Hey friend, there hasn’t ever been that amount of love shown, before or since that day!

BE FRIENDLY

           Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life.  Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend. –Spurgeon

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

          I am thankful for the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. It is that Friend who teaches us to be a real friend to others. He teaches us how to value them. He teaches us to invest our lives in them. He teaches us to help them. He teaches us to love them. He teaches us to sacrifice for them.

            Being friendly is much more than having conversations on social media—it is putting legs on the conversations we have! So, show yourself friendly and earn the right to have friends!

I’M GLAD I’VE GOT GOOD FRIENDS!

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. –Anonymous

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9

What worth do friends have? They can correct you when you are wrong. They can help sharpen you to become a better Christian. They can help you up when you fall. They can hold you accountable. They can pray for you, cry with you, and encourage you to continue on when the world says quit!

Yes, I’ve got some friends like this, near and far! For this, I am thankful and if you have some, you should be too! But much more than any earthly friend we ought to praise the Lord for The Friend we have in Jesus! For when our earthly friends fail us, Jesus is there for us!

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

Nor father or mother has loved you as God has, for it was that you might be happy when He gave His only Son.  When He bowed His head in the death hour, love solemnized its triumph; the sacrifice there was completed. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5

 I have always found it confusing how Parents could sell, abandon, or even kill their own child. We hear it on the news almost every week now; a Mom sells a child for her next fix, a Dad abandons his children for selfish gain, a Mom aborts her child because she doesn’t want the responsibility of raising it, a Dad takes his child’s life because it was crying in the crib of hunger or some medical issue. What’s gotten into people? Well, the question should be, “What’s not gotten into people?” The answer, THE LOVE OF GOD!

       Friend, whether you agree with me or not on this issue is fine but what you cannot disagree with is that this world is waxing worse and worse. As some would say, “It’s going to hell in a hand basket.” In my opinion, it’s because we have stopped teaching the fundamentals found in the Word of God. We have taken the influence of a Loving Saviour and replaced it with Liberal Science.

You want to make a difference in your life and the lives of others…start with the Word of God! You want to know how to love your spouse and kids...meet the One who created love! 

THANK SOMEONE WHILE YOU CAN!

Before tomorrow passes by thank a friend so you won’t have to do it at their casket.

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. Proverbs 27:2

The Lord is looking for people with a thankful heart; thankful for help, thankful for hope, thankful for life, thankful for liberty, thankful for salvation, and thankful for God! He wants us to convey that thankfulness to those that it is due. Say it to your spouse, your children, your boss, your employer, your postman, your lawn care guy, your pastor, your pastor’s wife, Sunday School teacher, your missionaries, your Mom, your Dad, your Saviour…get the point?

Now go thank someone for their influence in your life!