"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. : Proverbs 18: 24
And of course the remedy and beautiful conclusion to the thoughts of my post last Friday, is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For all of us who trust in him as our saviour, we have placed our trust in him and he is faithful. If you have walked with the Lord a long time, you will know and lean on this with confidence. It took me many years to embrace this, I regret to admit. I spent many hours wallowing in the slough of despond when troubles came. But gradually, I came to recognize that each and every time, the Lord upheld me, comforted me and lifted me up. He brought true friends along side as well to help bear my burdens. He showed me how to be a good friend to others.
As one commenter said, we learn not to cling to these earthly friendships, but to appreciate them and be thankful for them, even when they come into our lives only for a short season.
Wrong friendships.
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4
As his bride, we must keep faithful to our spouse, our closest friend, and avoid the alluring friendships of this world. Be wise in your choices for many there be that walk the broad road which leads to destruction.
We sang this Psalm yesterday morning and it again reminded me where my only hope and confidence lie.
He only my salvation is,
and my strong rock is he;
He only is my sure defence:
I shall not moved be.
Psalm 62:6
(Scottish Metrical Version)
Your posts always reveal so much wisdom, Ruby. Since my neighbor isn't a Christian to my knowledge, maybe I don't have to be friends, but continue to pray for her and value and nurture true friendships.
ReplyDeleteOh, Ruby, thank you for posting this. I'm rejoicing today in my Friend, the One that never leaves me. Very uplifting post!
ReplyDeleteSo true Ruby! I am so inspired by your thoughts, your wisdom.
ReplyDeleteSince I first began my walk with the Lord, I have noticed that the friendships of the world, whether they be in the workplace, or connections elsewhere, don't really get off the ground. It is like I just don't connect with these 'acquaintances' on any deep level.
When there is a person whom the Lord has ordained, for me to connect more deeply with, He will use a common interest, ie our love of dogs, or something or other. In these instances, it is for His greater purpose, and I get to witness something of His love and/or His Word to them. They are open to hearing these things. I know His hand is in it.
Having worldly friends isn't something that happens for me, as it just doesn't gel. As per scripture, what fellowship can light have with the darkness? Not that we don't seek to love and care for others... I hope you know what I mean. I don't always explain myself very well, and don't want to sound elitist or proud. ;)
I was brought up from the cradle with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, however I wanted to be part of the world as I reached my adulthood - things looked far more exciting and enticing. Satan did a great job. However no matter what sort of mess that I made of my life the Lord never left my side and was just waiting for me to say "I need you", that of course came much later (when I realised that I couldn't live alone), now I hold Him tight and lean upon His strength each and every day.
ReplyDeleteI am finding it is very difficult to find strong Christian friendship - most of those around me e.g. at work are unbelievers. Which is why it has been so lovely to "bump" into you and others e.g. lovely Amanda!!
God is certainly good to us. It is amazing to me, the friendships which are forged over the internet. While it is true that we do not know one another face to face, in some ways, there is often a depth which our real life acquaintences do not know of. I recently introduced a couple of my friends to my blog and they were surprised at the deeper thoughts which I am able to express here.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruby,
ReplyDeleteIt would be so much easier to just be friends with the world, but God's Word explicitly forbids it. Why? Because the world lives not the way that we do, and it would be so easy to fall into the snares of the world.
God's World tells us to live in the world, but not be of the world, and that's a very fine line to follow.
Christian companionship is so important, as iron sharpens iron. :D
Have a wonderful week,
Love and blessings,
Jillian ♥
Thank you for your recent posts about friendship. I have struggled lately with lost relationships and how to move into new ones. I was encouraged by your thoughts and especially the reminder of my Friend who is closer than even a brother (or sister) and is always faithful.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Ruby. Friendship truly is a great thing.
ReplyDelete