friendship – herbcotton.org

The Tie That Binds Our Hearts Together in Love

Text:

Philippians 1:6-8 (ESV)

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Observation:

The tie that binds the hearts of God’s people together is Jesus. It’s all about Jesus, and His love for us, and His love that has been deposited as a grace gift into the hearts of His people.

Can you say from the depths of your heart what the Apostle Paul said to the saints at Philippi?

Philippians 1:8 (ESV)

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

What is the tie binds the hearts of God’s people together in fellowship and friendship? It is Christ Jesus our Lord. We have each received His grace that has been lavished upon us so abundantly. Jesus commands us to love one another.

John 15:12 (ESV)

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Are you willing to obey? You can’t, but God can. He has poured His love into your heart.

“BIND US TOGETHER, Lord, Bind us together

With cords that cannot be broken.

Bind us together, Lord,

Bind us together,

Bind us together with love.” {Bob Gillman – Author}

Prayer:

Father, I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit that You would unleash a flood of the love You have poured into our hearts to flow from us to others. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

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Have You Ever Been In A Hard Place and Needed A Friend’s Help?

Text:

1 Samuel 23:16-17 (NLT)

16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.

17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

Observation:

Today’s focal passage reveals a wonderful friendship between Johathan and David.

One of the keys to helping others is to listen to them. If you listen carefully you will discover the needs of others.

Why not listen, and based of what you hear, show compassion by encouraging someone today. Your encouragement may be the touch that they need to strengthen them in their walk.

Have you ever been encouraged and strengthened by someone similar to how Jonathan did for David? Have you given encouragement to someone?

Why not look and listen today to the people that you meet, and give an encouraging word to someone who needs the strength of the Lord in their life.

Prayer:

Father, help us to be willing to listen to others. Father, give us hearts to hear, and hands to help others. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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What A Friend

Text:

Proverbs 17:17 (HCSB)

17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

Observation:

The portion of the verse that is speaking into my heart today is this, “A friend loves at all times; not just in a difficult time”.

Ruth 1:16 (HCSB)

16 But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

What A Friend! We are most like our Savior when we love and care for one another; not just when we are at our best; but, when we are at our worst. We belong to each other, and we need each other.

Proverbs 18:14 (HCSB)

14 A man’s spirit can endure sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?

Friendships have its risks, but it is better to have friends that sometime disappoint you than to be an isolated person without a friend.

Proverbs 18:19 (HCSB)

19 An offended brother is ?harder to reach? than a fortified city, and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.

Proverbs 18:1 (HCSB)

1 One who isolates himself pursues ?selfish? desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I thank You for providing for us the most wonderful and trusted friend a person could ever have. O how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.

Father, help each of us to be a friend that loves others first, and that loves at all times; not just in a difficult time. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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How To Be A True and Trusted Friend?

Text:

Proverbs 27:5-6 (ESV)

5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Observation:

This Proverb presents a contrast between the actions of an enemy and a friend. The goal of the enemy is to hurt you, and the friend wants to help you.

Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

A friend will tell you the truth, and sometimes the truth will wound you, and wounds may hurt for a while, but they will help you in the long run. The friend will tell you the truth, but they will do it in love.

Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

Would you like to have friends who have this quality? Why not take the initiative, and be a friend who has this essential characteristic of friendship.

Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Prayer:

Father God, I pray that You will give each of us the faith to release the love that is within us to love others as You have loved us. Lord, help us to speak truth into their lives gently and lovingly. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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How to Have Friendships That Last Forever

Text:

Philippians 2:4-5 (HCSB)
⁴Everyone should look out not [only] for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
⁵Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,

Observation:

The one word topic for today is friendship. Everyone needs a few good friends; people that you can count on to be with you in the good times and in the hard times, The Book of Proverbs says it like this.

Proverbs 17:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

The Proverbs also describes how to have such a friend; be a model of the friends you desire for others to see. Be a stayer not a deserter to a few intimate and close friends.

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)
²⁴A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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

Proverbs 19:4 (ESV)
⁴Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

Finally, the Bible gives a compelling reason why we need close and trusted friends.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (HCSB)
⁹Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.
¹⁰For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.
¹¹Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?
¹²And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

Prayer:

Father God, I am so grateful for the trusted and true friends that I have in my life; I consider them as Your gift to me. Father, I pray that You would add to that number people you would choose, and reveal them to me.

Father, for any that do not have a friend, I ask that You would grant them the desires of their heart; people who would be trusted and true friends. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Daily Bread

Title: The Blessing of Being A Friend of God

Text:

Exodus 33:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.
¹¹Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Observation:

On Tuesday I wrote on the topic, “How Close Is Your Relationship with the Lord?” I received a comment from a friend who was encouraged by the topic, and cited the passage listed above.

Moses was not a perfect man; he had feet of clay like you and me. However, God was not ashamed to call Moses His friend. Let’s look at this friendship.

Exodus 34:8-10 (ESV)
⁸And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
⁹And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
¹⁰And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

God spoke with Moses as a friend because Moses obeyed God. He will be with us today because, if He dwells in us, He remains with us. Where loves abides you will find obedience to God.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV)
¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful that You are a faithful God, and that You promise to remain with those You are pleased to call Your friends. I am so grateful for the cross at Calvary where Jesus made this relationship and friendship possible. In the precious name of Jesus, my friend, I pray, Amen.

“Jesus is all the world to me,
I want no better friend.
I trust Him now; I’ll trust Him when
Life’s fleeting days shall end.
Beautiful life with such a Friend;
Beautiful life that has no end!
Eternal life, eternal joy,
He’s my Friend.”

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/530#ixzz2ryWfj8Zj

Daily Bread

Title: When Differences Are a Good Thing

Text:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (HCSB)
⁹Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.
¹⁰For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.

Observation:

I have had friendship on my mind this week. I read an article that motivated me to respond to the suggestion to set a worthy goal for 2014. I set a goal relating to seeking to develop a close and intimate friendship with a person who lives in my home town. I shared the goal with the author of the article, and he responded with the above text. So, I’m on a mission.

I am basically an introvert, and I have always been a quiet person. That does not mean that I can’t engage in conversation with friends; I had a 1 ½ hour phone conversation with a friend yesterday. It’s just small talk in larger groups that pains and drains me. I can talk for hours with dreamers and people with positive attitudes.

It is said that opposites are attracted to each other. I choose to look at it from the view that opposites complete each other. It’s like the picture of the completed puzzle. Both introverts and extroverts have value; they are just different. The God who made us different commands us to be one.

Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT)
²Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
³Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Here are some words from the Bible that instruct me on this topic of the value of having a few wise and trusted friends; people who will add value to your life, and to whom you can add value to their lives.

Proverbs 17:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

Proverbs 13:20 (HCSB)
²⁰The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 27:5-6 (HCSB)
⁵Better an open reprimand than concealed love.
⁶The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.
Proverbs 27:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that I will be a trusted friend to a small inner circle that You bring into my life; people who I can encourage, and people who can encourage me. Father God, I acknowledge that every good gift comes from your heart and your hands. Lord, I thank You for all of my blessings. Amen.