“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”
Let’s talk about friendship. What kind of friends are in your circle? Do you consider yourself a true friend? Are you a social butterfly, having tons of friends and acquaintances? There’s a huge difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. I would say that loyalty is one of the strongest characteristics of having or being a genuine friend. When I talk about true friendship, I think of being available to help in times of distress or personal struggle. I know them from experience, and I know that you know them too… fair-weather friends. We talked about them before—they stick around when the friendship helps them and they leave when they aren’t getting anything out of the relationship. Too many people are fair-weather friends. As the NKJ’s version so eloquently puts it…Our true friend and brother becomes known when trouble comes. Think of your friends and assess your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages. To kind of sum this up, 1 Corinthians 13: 7 says “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
“… endures through every circumstance”… Our society confuses love and lust. Isn’t that true? Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is directed outward towards others, not inward towards ourselves. God’s love is totally unselfish. This is the kind of love that exists between true friends. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.” 1 Corinthians 13: 4-6
This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It’s impossible to have this kind of love apart from God. I don’t know how, but God help us set aside our natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. The more we become like Christ, the more love we can show to others.
“A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (NLT) Proverbs 17: 22
“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” (NKJV) Proverbs 17: 22
Can you relate to a time when your spirit was broken, and it seemed like all of your strength was exhausted and you were just plain worn out? I know you have. I shared this before and I’ll share it again… I was at one of my all-time lows, just telling the Lord that I was too tired and too weary to go on. The Holy Spirit impressed upon my mind that I should read Romans 4:17. So I did, and it spoke about Abraham. It read, “…God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.‘ This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” I kept reading. “Even when there was no reason for hope (we’ve all been here), Abraham kept hoping –believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him,“That’s how many descendants you will have! And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous, and it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” Romans 4: 18-25
Abraham never doubted that God would keep His promise. No matter what happened, or didn’t happen, he trusted God completely. His faith was strengthened by the obstacles he faced, and his life was an example of faith in action! Abraham looked to God, obeyed him, and waited for God to fulfill His Word. When I read this, again my hope and confidence was 100 percent restored. Thank you Holy Spirit for giving me these words of life!
And I just want to give you an update. Yesterday, I was able to walk around without my cane!! But I was extremely tired at the end of the day. I’m starting to use muscles that haven’t been used in a long time. My posture is better, I feel an inch taller! Small beginnings. My balance is still pretty bad, but just like Abraham, I am only looking to God, obeying Him, and waiting on Him.
“I lift my eyes onto the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth!”
