Category: Friendship

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We Have A Purpose

Each one of us have a gifting and a purpose that no one else has. God created us with individualized skills, abilities and passions.

“ I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV

Ask yourself these questions. What am I good at? What do I enjoy doing? The answer to these questions will lead you toward your purpose.

“A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.

6  God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7 If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8 If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.

9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. 10 Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. 11 Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. 12 Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. 13 Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home.

14  Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15  When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16  Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people. 17 Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, 18 and do your best to live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:4-18 CEV

That simple instruction comes from the Apostle Paul.

Do what you do best – teach, serve, encourage, lead, give. Be sincere, be loving, be persistent, be joyful, be kind, be forgiving. Be friendly.

All of these characteristics are part and parcel of the gifts of the Spirit. When we put them into practice, we are living like God desires us to live and we reflect Him to the world around us.

When I woke this morning, I had this verse on my mind.

“Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.” Psalm 19:14 CEV

Dave and I have a big meeting this morning and it’s important that we let the character of Christ shine in us. Our words and our thoughts need to please Him.

We each have a daily purpose and that’s to let the love of Christ shine!

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Follow Me!

Those were the words that were heard by a man named Abram. He wasn’t anybody special; he was one of three sons. He was nine generations removed from Noah and sixteen generations from Adam.

(I know this doesn’t sound very interesting but bear with me through this brief history lesson.)

What I need you to see is that God doesn’t give up on His plans. He is diligent, persistent, aggressive and determined. Love never fails!

Of all the people on earth God chose Noah and nine generations later He chose Abraham.

“The Lord said to Abram: ‘Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3  I will bless those who bless you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.’ 4-5 Abram was 75 years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had acquired while in Haran.” Genesis 12:1-5 CEV

God is looking for those who will believe Him and obey. Noah obeyed and built an ark; Abram obeyed and left his homeland.

“Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen. 9  Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise. 10 Abraham did this, because he was waiting for the eternal city God had planned and built.” Hebrews 11:8-10 CEV

If you read the story of Abram’s life, and I hope you will, you will see that he wasn’t perfect. He lied to the king of Egypt about his wife and there was family friction between he and his nephew Lot and still God used him. In fact, the Bible tells us that Abram was called the friend of God.

I like that.

My friends are near and dear to my heart. I treasure those relationships; God’s affection is so much greater than ours. Because men like Noah and Abram trusted God and were blessed by Him, we too share in those blessings.

“The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith. 7  And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham. 8  Long ago the Scriptures said God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. This is why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him. 9 This means everyone who has faith will share in the blessings given to Abraham because of his faith.” Galatians 3:6-9 CEV

Abraham has left us some important steps to follow on our journey to the cross. Following the path that God has planned for us will always bring blessings!

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV

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Let the World Know

I have a question for you this morning. If I asked you to define friendship would the word love be in your definition?

It should be – true friendship is built on love and trust. A couple of days ago, in my blog “Love Covers” I showed you how God’s love covers our multitude of sins. Remember this verse?

“Most of all, have a true love for each other. Love covers many sins.” I Peter 4:8 NLV

and then yesterday there was this verse

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

Those were the two thoughts heavy on my mind this morning. Am I a good and loving friend? Love and trust. Do I express those two characteristics with the people I call friends and those who are family?

Do I love the way Christ does? I think of the adulterous woman who the religious leaders wanted to stone. Jesus proved to be her friend; she could trust Him. He didn’t humiliate her or put her failure on display, He covered her actions with His love. He told her she was forgiven and to go and sin no more.

Look at Peter. Christ told him to be on guard because satan was going to trip him up and get him to sin. Peter in his own boisterous way said NEVER and then he denied Christ three times before the sun came up. After Jesus rose from the grave and encountered the disciples on multiple occasions He never once ridiculed or chided Peter in public. Jesus only spoke good things over Peter’s life.

How will the world know that we are disciples, followers of Christ? We are to love one another. That means that we cover the failings and shortcomings of those we love. We don’t repeat their mistakes, we don’t embarrass them with their past. We cover them with love.

“You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.” Proverbs 17:9 CEV

There’s a story that you may not know. After he and his family were off the ark and living on land again, Noah got drunk and one of his sons found him naked in his tent. That son went and reported the incident to his brothers. He made his father’s shame public. Look what the other two sons did.

“Shem and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked backwards into the tent. Without looking at their father, they placed it over his body” Genesis 9:23 CEV

They covered their father’s sin and shame. This is what God expects from us. This is how the world will know that we are His disciples.

“Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.” Ephesians 5:1 CEV

With all we have learned about God’s love for us during the past month we have a mandate to walk in that kind of love to those around us. Be an encourager, be someone who builds others up. Don’t speak of past failures – cover them.

Let the world know we are His disciples by our love!

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Table Friends

Growing up I didn’t have family close by. Mom and Dad moved to Arizona from Iowa a year before I was born. Dad needed to be in a more conducive work environment; he was in construction and the harsh Iowa winters kept him from working for several months at a time.

Anyway, our newfound friends became family. It didn’t matter that we lived in a trailer and had a small living space, Mom would have Dad put up the card tables in the living room for us kids while the adults sat around the table in the kitchen. There was always laughter and plenty of good food.

I also remember the signs of struggle as the adults would talk softly and occasionally a napkin was used to wipe away the tears. That part of loving relationships has stayed with me all my life. I was thinking about those friends this morning…

When you think of the people around, those you share your life with, would you say they are friends or just acquaintances? What makes some relationships treasured and others only casual?

Are there relationships you would like to deepen; those folks you admire but just don’t seem to have enough time with? What do you do to try to increase the bond with these special people?

Maybe you invite them to lunch or perhaps have them come for dinner. They are welcome in your home and having them visit for several days is never a chore but a delight. You learn about their likes and dislikes – how they like their coffee and favorite dessert. It’s important to treat them special!

Now that you’re thinking of these people and how they tug at your heart, you can understand what the Apostle Paul wrote about one of his relationships.

“All I want now is Christ. 9 I want to belong to him. In Christ I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with him. 10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death…” Philippians 3:8-10 ERV

Do you have a desire to know Christ the way Paul did?

Clear your schedule today. Make a lunch or dinner date and invite Jesus to attend. I guarantee He will show up, he wants to spend time with you more than you want to spend time with Him!

“ You are My friends if you do what I tell you. 15 I do not call you servants that I own anymore. A servant does not know what his owner is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father.” John 15:14-15 NLV

Learn about Him, develop your relationship, sit at the table, share fellowship with the One who loves you most. I can assure you it will be the best friendship you’ve ever cultivated!

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Time Away

We just returned home after being gone for 5 days. What a good trip!

The last couple of days we were back on the mountain. For two years we had been camp hosts at Rainbow Campground on Big Lake in the Arizona White Mountains. This year we made a tough decision and were not able to return.

We miss the serenity of mountain life and the dear friends we have there. Everything we do is dependent upon God’s times and seasons.

“Everything on earth
has its own time
    and its own season.
2 There is a time
for birth and death,
    planting and reaping,
3 for killing and healing,
    destroying and building,
4 for crying and laughing,
    weeping and dancing,
5 for throwing stones
and gathering stones,
    embracing and parting.
6 There is a time
for finding and losing,
    keeping and giving,
7 for tearing and sewing,
    listening and speaking.
8 There is also a time
for love and hate,
    for war and peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 CEV

The embracing and parting are hard. We spent time with some friends we have known for many years and also with some who we only been acquainted with for a few years. It was a time of refreshing and catching up. There were tears and laughter, promises to meet again and always – always – an expression of gratitude for the Lord bringing our lives together.

What a joy it is to know that the Lord cares about our associations and friendships.

“Jonathan liked David so much that they promised to always be loyal friends.” I Samuel 18:3 CEV

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:23-24 NLT

Last night after we returned home Dave and I began to call out names of so many who have been a part of our lives and we know how truly rich we are in the area of relationships.

I am truly grateful for each of you who read this blog. I feel the Lord has blessed me in such a tremendous way, being able to share with you my walk with the Lord and to encourage you in your walk with Him as well.

Thank you for being faithful readers and precious friends, some we know and some we have yet to meet.

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Grateful for Friends

The last couple of days Dave and I have been visiting friends. It has been wonderful!

We left home on Thursday morning stopping in Tucson and spending time with old friends. Then on down the road and another short visit with friends and neighbors. We spent time with family and then the last two nights and a day in the home of more friends, enjoying their company.

Last night we gathered for a time of feasting where we made some new friends. It was a great time for us. We felt part of the family, We shared delicious food, the joy and the laughter, the hopes and the dreams. It was wonderful!

It’s amazing how God’s love knits hearts together.

Do me a favor. Stop for a moment and think about the friends you hold dear. As their names and faces are fore front in your mind pray for them and thank God for them. Now, think about the qualities in your relationship with them. What makes them the special friends they are?

Those qualities and those people are a blessing from the Lord! They are a gift.

Did you know that God has friends? The Bible tells us that Abraham was a friend of God. Jesus said to his disciples that they were friends.

“ You are My friends if you do what I tell you. 15 I do not call you servants that I own anymore. A servant does not know what his owner is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, I have chosen you. I have set you apart for the work of bringing in fruit. Your fruit should last. And whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” John 15:14-16 NLV

How great it is to be called God’s friend!

Friends share heart to heart, they share one another’s sorrows, they encourage and build one another up. It’s a relationship of giving, of openness, of loving.

“A friend loves at all times…” Proverbs 17:17 NLV

“A man who has friends must be a friend, but there is a friend who stays nearer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 NLV

We have a friend in Christ – a friend who loves at all times, a friend who stays close by in every situation.

The warmth of last evening will be with me for a very long time. It is imprinted on my heart. It is just another confirmation of how dearly the Father loves me. It is also a reminder of the type of daily relationship He wants to share with me. Jesus said he wasn’t keeping secrets from his friends. God said the same about Abraham, his friend.

“And the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will become a great and powerful nation, because good will come to all the nations of the earth through him? ” Genesis 18:17-18 NLV

I truly believe that God wants to say about each one of us what He said about and experienced with Abraham. He desires to share His heart with us, to not only be our Father but our friend.

Yes, I am grateful for friendship!

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Grateful for You

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” Philippians 1:3-5 NLT

Last night was one of those times when I just lay awake praying. I started by telling the Father how thankful I was for my family, praying for each one of them by name. Lifting their concerns and needs in prayer and thanking Him for the joy of each relationship.

From there it led to our closest friends – with the same prayer – again praying for each one by name. Recalling the sweet times we’ve shared and those that were bathed in tears. I told the Fath” er for every name that came to mind I would pray.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:18 NLT

With sixty-nine years of life, there were a lot of names, a lot of friends. There are friends who have lost their mates and parents in the last ten years. I prayed for them in a special way.

And then there are most of you. Since I don’t know most of you personally I prayed for you and the different states across the nation that you live in.

Friends who faithfully share your mornings with me. Friends that I have yet to meet face-to-face. If I were to meet you today I would hug your neck, squeeze your hand, look you in the eye and say thank you. I would pray with you and when our time together came to an end I would hug you again, kiss your cheek and tell you I love you. I really do.

I am grateful for you dear ones. You encourage me with your comments, with your “likes” and your “loves”. I’m praying for you!

The Apostle Paul said “you have been my partners” and you have. A number of you have told me that you share my blog with your family and friends because some days it’s just what “they” need to hear.

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9 NLT

My desire, each morning, is to encourage you with God’s love and goodness. I pray that you find strength to face each day with strength and not fear. I want each of you to know the depth of God’s love for you.

“ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” II Peter 1:3-4 NLT

You aren’t insignificant. God loves you and I am grateful that I get to share that with you. I am truly grateful for you!

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Child’s Play

I’ve been telling you for weeks how much rain we’ve been getting here in the mountains. Everything is very green and lush. It’s beautiful and now we are starting to see ponds where there have been none, not for a very long time.

A few of those are appearing in the campground, in the campsites. The ground has become so saturated with the rainwater that it’s not soaking in as quickly as it used too. One such pond is at the entrance, across from our check-in station.

We camp hosts were joking that the pond was big enough to stock with fish – or at least crawdads and tadpoles. So…Friday, when Dave and I went to town I bought 3 rubber ducks and 5 bathtub fish. When we came home, I put them in the pond. Saturday morning two of my favorite little campers came down to say good morning and spotted our newest “floating” camper residents. Since they were in their rain boots their mom and dad let them play and splash in the puddle.

New idea!

I drove to the marina and bought a small fishing pole, affixed a magnet to the end of the line, and secured something metallic to the back of each fish and duck. Now, we had a fishing hole for the littles. That evening my two friends came back on their evening walk, with their parents and grandparents, and they got to be the first to catch a big one.

They were so patient.

Believe it or not, it took some skill to get one of those rubber toys to the bank. They were so happy, and content. For about the next 20-30 minutes they took turns fishing and landing their catch.

Now you fisherman know that patience is as much an essential requirement as a good pole and the proper bait.

The same holds true spiritually.

“As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 20 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 21 Continuing on, he saw another set of brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and 22 immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people.” Matthew 4:18-23 CEB

Jesus was patient and loving as He ministered to people. He didn’t demand to be followed, He invited people to join him. He built relationship by attending to their needs; He healed those who were sick and brought them good news! He showed them compassion and understanding.

We have also been called to be fishers of men. We do that by building relationship, showing love, being genuine. We shouldn’t get discouraged or give up.

There’s much to be learn from what some would call child’s play. The message of Jesus is good news and we should share it with joyful hearts and patience.

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Make the Most of It

Time robbers – they are all around us! We need to be aware of their tactics and stand on guard.

I’ll admit there are some time robbers that have infiltrated my daily routine. Now, before I go any further, I want to say that I am not condemning anyone but will simply be pointing out an area the Holy Spirit has pointed out in my life that He wants me to change.

I spend more time than I should each day playing on my computer. I like several different types of Solitaire. I feel it challenges my problem-solving skills and keeps me alert, however, I allow it to rob time from other things that need my attention.

For weeks, I’ve been saying that I need to write to a few people and encourage them – let them know I’m thinking of them and praying for them but that has gotten pushed to the background while I play “just one more hand”.

“ So be very careful how you live. Live wisely, not like fools. 16 I mean that you should use every opportunity you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17 So don’t be foolish with your lives, but learn what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17 ERV

Use every opportunity for doing good.

Please hear me on this, relaxation is not wrong. We can become so busy that we neglect to rest. There is nothing wrong with playing computer Solitaire but if it robs my time and my energy and keeps me from doing other things that have a more lasting value then it’s a problem.

“God sent Jesus Christ our Savior to give us his Spirit. 7 Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life. 8 This message is certainly true. These teachings are useful and helpful for everyone. I want you to insist that the people follow them, so that all who have faith in God will be sure to do good deeds.” Titus 3:6-8 CEV

Be sure to do good deeds.

This makes me think of the story of the Good Samaritan. Three people saw the man who had been beaten and robbed. Only one stopped to help. I don’t know why – maybe they were scared or just too busy, needing to get to their next appointment so they walked on by. The sad thing about this is one was a priest and one was a worker at the temple.

The thing with time robbers is that many of them aren’t offensive, illegal or immoral but they do keep us from doing something better.

“God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.” Ephesians 2:10 CEV

If the Lord is showing you things that are robbing your time, ask for His help in correcting the situation. If nothing comes to mind, then praise God for right priorities.

Let’s all make the most of the time we have to do good things that will honor the Father and be a blessing to others.

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Life Is Not A Tweet

This morning I want to present you with another challenge. This is an important question, how well do you listen?

You’ve seen those challenges on FB – do you read a post with no picture attached? If it’s a lengthy post do you read it all or just partially and then skip to the next more “interesting” feed. Twitter’s whole premise is brevity, convey your idea in 244 characters. Make is short!

But life is not a tweet.

True relationships require listening.

Yesterday I had a man check in for his camp site. He was by himself and when I asked, is there only one in your camping group he replied, “yes, I trying this alone; my wife died two months ago”. He talked and I listened. With tears in my eyes, I reached through the window and held his hand for a few moments. Inwardly, I was praying for him and thanking the Father that I hadn’t been in too much of a hurry to listen.

We build relationships by listening.

If you have children or grandchildren you know how important it is to listen. They want to tell you about their day or their favorite game or toy or pet or… They want to be heard and it’s important that we listen.

Sometimes you don’t need to read alot in the Bible to get your direction for the day. That was the case this morning.

“Let people finish speaking before you try to answer them. That way you will not embarrass yourself and look foolish.” Proverbs 18:13 ERV

It isn’t always necessary for us to provide a solution or even an answer, what’s important is that we care enough to listen.

“My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger.” James 1:19 ERV

Our Father is always ready to listen to us. He invites us to come with our joys and our sorrows. He welcomes us to come with our problems and our victories. He listens to His children with a loving heart.

But He also wants us to listen to His words of kindness and instruction.

“My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. 21 Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them.” Proverbs 4:20-21 ERV

The challenge: don’t be in a hurry. Listen to the Father’s words, learn from Him. When we learn to listen to Him we will be better at listening to others.

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