Growing a friend

John 15:12-15 – “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

A friend. We all need them. We all desire to have a close one. A friend is someone you can talk to – who will listen and give you advise, if needed. Friends come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors and genders. Chances are you have had different friends for different stages of your life. I know I have. But there are some friends that stand the test of time.

Yesterday afternoon, I spent the time shopping with my daughter. We had so much fun giving advise on shoes and sunglasses. We looked at books, swimsuits, camera cases and so much more. We laughed and talked and just enjoyed the time together.

I have a girlfriend with whom I love to talk. We will chat via texting for the longest time about so many different things. But as much fun as chatting over texting is, being face to face to share a good laugh is necessary. You can’t have a friendship without a relationship. And building a relationship means spending time together.

And then I have the friendship with my husband. Oh, this one is a must. How can two people live under the same roof and share the same bed without friendship? He is the one that knows my moods, my actions, my quirks and my determination. He knows my dreams and my fears. But as well as he knows me, there needs to One who knows me even better – Jesus.

How can I expect to be a better friend in all of the above mentioned situations if I don’t have a relationship with Him? I truly believe that one cannot know real love until they know Jesus. He showed us what love is. He showed us what being a friend is all about.

He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to allow Him into all parts of our life. He wants to be a part of our thoughts, our dreams, our quirks, our moods, our actions – He wants to be in it all. You can’t have this type of relationship on Sunday morning alone. It is something you have to choose to work at every day of the week.

I have a friendship that is growing right now. As I mentioned above, we text a lot. But when we get to see one another, we cherish that time together. We hold onto it. And we treasure it.

Growing a relationship with Jesus is the same way. Now, you can’t text Jesus but you can pray. You can spend time chatting with Him in your heart. And just like texting, sometimes you need to listen. It’s not a one way communication. And then there is your together time. One way to spend time together is through Bible study. Another way is when you go to church to worship. That is the time that you should treasure and cherish. That is the time to hold onto when you leave. You need to remember that time. You need to remember what you have learned about Him. You need to remember what He has commanded you through that time of learning and worship. And you need to go. Hebrews 10:25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Friends. They are near and dear to our heart. We have to spend time with them to know them and grow our relationship with them. The same is true for the One true Friend. Our friends on the earth are special and to be treasured. But we must remember this: Proverbs 18:24 – “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” The One that sticks closer than a brother is Jesus. He is the One that will never hold us back. He will never disappoint. He will never leave nor will He be far away. Develop that friendship and make it grow.

One more New Year post

Isaiah 42:9-12 – “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.”

I put away all my Christmas decorations yesterday. Several hours of repacking and cleaning. It’s not all clean yet, but we are well on our way. Putting it all away is sort of bittersweet. I love looking at it and putting it out.

But there is a strange sort of metamorphosis to putting it away. It is like your getting rid of the last little bit of the old year left behind.

I’m still working on my spiritual metamorphosis. I still have some of the old me that hangs on for dear life. It just doesn’t want to leave – old habits, old thought patterns and the such.

I need to remember that the time for those things have passed. It is a new year – a fresh slate. The former things have passed away. They need to be gone. The time has come to sing.

We had such wonderful preaching yesterday at church that it makes my heart sing. What a way to start off the first Sunday of the new year with two baptisms and an opportunity to show love to a brother who desperately needed it. Beautiful. Beautiful stuff.

I want to encourage you, princess, to get rid of the former things that might be holding you back. It is still the beginning of a new year. And besides, a new you can happen any time. You don’t need the calendar to flip before you begin changing. Now is just a great opportunity. And don’t forget to sing. Sing His praises for the change. Sing His praises for the ridding of old things. Sing His praises for the opportunity to do both. God has been so good to me last year. I’m so excited to see what He is going to do this year.

Day 1 Escaped

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Yesterday, we worked out in the yard. I know, what a thing to do on the first day of the new year. But it was nice and it needed to be done.

We were putting yard waste into a large trash can. It was getting rather full. So I asked my daughter to come and smash it down by standing on it. I had to help her up and away she went. She smashed and giggled and smashed some more until I saw something – a small snake head. “Come on down, sweetheart.” “Why mom?” “I think I see a snake.” Scream!!! We both hate snakes. Now the way I react to snakes is all snakes, at the time, seem like pythons. I hate them! I don’t like them in zoos. I don’t like seeing their skin that has been shed. I really don’t even like them dead. I know they have their place in the order of things but….in my mind, Noah should have left them off the ark.

I had been cutting bushes. I had this double edged bush trimmer that makes lots of noise and can do some serious damage to a snake, especially one the thickness of a pencil. So, I took care of that sawed off snake. See, I had already cut it in two when I was trimming some tall grass. It was probably four inches long and the thickness of my finger. But like I said, at the time it was a python as big as my arm.

My point in telling you this goofy little escapade is this – The Word of God is our defense. We don’t fight our battles with our hands or a little stick. We have the Word of God to defend us. This verse reminds us that it is super sharp and can cut through anything – and I mean anything. It can even discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. That means that the Word can help you determine if what is being said is true or not.

It does not matter if your battle is huge and life changing or minuscule and petty. God wants to be a part of them all. He wants to be a part of every decision as well. He wants to have a say in the big ones like “should I take this new job and totally change my family” and the little ones like “should I buy that bag of cookies”. Life is full of decisions and battles. I guarantee that you will be involved in one or both today.

Don’t go at it alone, Princess. You have the opportunity to win every single time because you plus God always wins. Romans 8:31 – “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Ruth

Ruth 2:8-12 – “Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

Ruth, probably one of the greatest love stories ever written. I have noticed that when I get ready to start another Bible study, I always come here first. I just love the story of Ruth and Boaz. There is so much in the book of Ruth. So many spiritual truths and examples of character and devotion.

Ruth had a choice to make. Her husband had died. His brother had died. His father had died. It was a tough time. Naomi, her mother-in-law, was encouraging her to go home to her family. She had no more to offer her. But Ruth chose to stay with Naomi. She chose to go to Bethlehem with Naomi – a place she had never been. These were people and a God that she was not familiar with – she had to be somewhat frightened. Yet, she chose to make Naomi’s people, her people and Naomi’s God, her God. And what a decision that turned out to be.

When Naomi and Ruth get to Bethlehem, people start talking. News spread through town that Naomi was back and she had brought her Moabite daughter-in-law with her. It was highly unusual – so, of course, everyone talked about it.

Naomi and Ruth were both widowers. They had to provide for themselves. They needed food. Naomi told Ruth to go and glean the fields – pick up what was dropped while they were harvesting. And she did. God led her to Boaz’s field.

Boaz had heard about Ruth and her devotion to Naomi. He was impressed with her character. He was intrigued by this woman who would choose to come to a foreign land with unfamiliar people rather than go home to her family.

Ok, let’s stop there for just minute. Let me say this – everyone is watching you. They are watching what you do, how you do and why you do it. You may think that you can pull the wool over people’s eyes, but my friend, you are sorely mistaken. You actions are crystal clear to the people you around, at least they will be at one time or another. Ruth went with Naomi out of a pure heart. She desired to stay with Naomi for no other reason than she loved her. And Boaz knew that. He could tell by the way she reacted to him. He could see her humble heart. Sooner or later, you actions will reveal the true intent and purpose of your heart.

Because Ruth’s heart was pure, God blessed her. He made sure that she was protected and fed. He made sure that it was Boaz’s field where she went to glean. He knew that one day, Boaz and Ruth would be together.

Following The Lord is not always easy. It may require sacrifice. It may require getting out of your comfort zone. It may require you to make choices that you never thought you could make. But when you follow Christ with a pure heart, nothing but blessings will follow. You may have to look closely for them at times, but they are always there.