friendships

Friendship

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Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that we are His friends.  Friends take care of each other, they are loyal, respectful, trustworthy and they support each other through difficult times.  Friendship is a two-way street…sometimes you are giving in your friendship and sometimes you are receiving.  Take time to reflect upon your friendships…especially your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Amen.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

John 15:12-15

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

(This photo was taken yesterday in Temperance State Park on the north shore of Lake Superior)

What A Friend

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What a friend we have in Jesus.  He has done more for us than anyone ever could…He reconciled us to God.  Here is a hand clapping, foot stomping song of praise and thanksgiving for our Friend, Jesus.  Amen.

What A Friend by Matt Maher

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:6-8

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Self-Awareness

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This is defined as knowledge of one’s own feelings, motives and desires.  If we are able to understand more about ourselves, we can become more confident in our values and purpose.  Being more self-aware will also improve our relationships and interactions with others.  For example, if our motives and desires center around self-satisfaction we will most likely have difficulty in relationships as we are not accounting for the needs of others.  There is a balance between self-care and helping others that we should strive for and we don’t have to do it alone.  God is with us and because of Jesus Christ we can ask for guidance in finding this balance.  May the Fruit of the Spirit be in you and flow through you.  Amen.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Friendship

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A relationship in which both individuals are equally nourished by their time together.  We all have different types of relationships.  A true friendship is one where both people care for and provide for each other.  Who are your true friends?  In our relationship with Jesus, He provides for us…what are we doing to serve Him?  May the peace of the Lord wash over your relationships.  Amen.

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“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

(This photo was taken by oen of my friends in July of 2014 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Friends

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Often times, not always, these are the people who are more like our brothers and sisters than the ones in our family.  There is trust, honesty, a sharing of experiences, giving as often as receiving and love.  Some friends are only for a period of time in our life and others last the whole way through, even when there are gaps of time.  Like everything else that is good they are a gift from God.  Who are your true friends?  Give thanks to God for those people and say a prayer for them and their life this day.  Amen.

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“My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:12-13

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

We Are Not Alone

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Not only is God with us each day and everywhere we go, He has also put other people in our lives.  Think about the people in your life.  I read this morning about three types of relationships…people we minister to and we receive very little from…people who minister to us and we give them very little back…and the people closest to us, the ones who nourish us and our spirit and we nourish them and their spirit equally.  Who are the people in these groups for you?  One is your ministry to others, the second is someone else’s ministry to you and the third group…these are the people that are with you during your highest highs and your lowest lows, the ones you want to notify first when something happens.  We need to be sure we are investing the majority of our time and energy in the third group, after all it is God who put them there to assist us and for us to assist them no matter what may come our way.  I pray we all reflect and recognize who “our people” are and we strive to give them our best.  Amen.

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“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Fellowship

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Friendship…companionship…togetherness…mutual support…shared interests.  A coming together and spending time together, that is what I think of when I think about fellowship.  It is encouraging to come together and be able to openly discuss issues and topics while setting aside judgement and comparisons.  In order for fellowship to be effective there is an element of forgiveness that must be present, because we are human, we will make mistakes and we will need to ask for forgiveness.  The other key element that is necessary for fellowship to work is time.  We need to devote time to fellowship and friendship.  This is also true for our relationship with God.  He has forgiven us of our sins and He is wanting us to spend time with Him.  Reflect on your life and the people in it…with whom do you need to devote more time and where is a lack of forgiveness present?  I pray that we turn towards God and ask Him to help us to see where fellowship is needed in our lives.  Amen.

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“For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.”

Matthew 18:20

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 by one of my best friends at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Community

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I am late in posting today because I went out for breakfast with two men who are my closest friends in the world.  Our time together on life’s journey began 30 years ago this fall when we all lived together when we were starting college.  We are all married, we all are Fathers and we all love the Lord.  We have grown and developed a deep love and respect for each other and we meet together to share stories, ask questions or just laugh about the things that have happened when we have been together.  The three of us are community for each other.  We all believe firmly that God brought us together to share this thing called life and we are all very thankful for our brotherhood.  It is so important to find your community whether it is big or small, to me it is a group of people where you give what you can and you receive what you need and it restores your soul to be apart of that group of people.  Thank you God for all the people that are community in my life.  May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Garden in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Neveda)

Highs And Lows

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Our journey is filled with these…moments where things are good, we are strong, confident, faithful and filled with hope and joy – Highs.  We also have moments of fear, concern, sadness that are filled with despair – Lows.  Every life has both whether you see it in others or not, they both exist for everyone.  The key to living with all of this is how are you reacting to your highs and your lows?  Reading and learning from God’s Word with the Holy Spirit as your guide is a great place to start.  After that, the way to give and receive celebration for highs and support for lows is with Friends.  Personal relationships, that is the key to living, learning and growing through out your life journey.  Reflect on your personal relationships, with God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as well as with your friends.  Pray about them and find ways you can enrich those relationships.  Faith is not a destination, it is a way of living through the Highs and Lows that come to all of us no matter who we are or what we are doing.  May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.”

Romans 12:12-13

(These photo’s were taken in July of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Friendship

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We need good friends as a part of our journey.  True friends, not the ‘how you doing’ people we pass and never take time to sit and listen to how they really are doing.  Friendship is a commitment to the other person that you will be there for them and they will be there for you.  It is a give and take and both parties have a responsibility to honor that commitment to the other.  These are the people that will go through your greatest highs and your deepest lows with you.  Think about who that is for you…give thanks to God for that person and take time to let them know you appreciate them.  May God’s love and joy be with you.

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“My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.”

John 15:12

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 by my friend Matt at a lake place in central Minnesota)