A Fabulous 40’s friend shared a quote with me recently…”The very person you would take a bullet for is the one who is loading the gun and shooting you”…. and yet we still feel guilty . I shared one back with her that I found… I started praying to the Lord to protect me from my enemies and I started loosing friends.

Seriously, this has got me thinking, how are our relationships/friendships doing? What is friendship? We now have made it a verb. We will “friend” you on Facebook. How many friends do you have on Facebook? How many do you talk to EVER? True friends are a wonderful blessing. A source of comfort in good time and bad. A source of good counsel. It is not always easy to know who your true friends are. Sometimes a true friend tells you what you do not want to hear. Sometimes a false friend tells you what you do want to hear. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

If we have been around this world for very long the one thing we can all agree on is some of the best times in life that we have ever encountered is from relationships. On the flip side, we can say some of the deepest pits we have ever landed in is because of relationships. Through my years I have been on the receiving end of hurt many times but I have also hurt my own fair share of people. I have learned hurting people hurt people. It has taken me years to truly lay down betrayal and hurts and my own mistakes at the foot of the cross. God has been so faithful and looking back at my life I can see how he has used what was meant for harm and turned it around for good and for HIS purpose. Oh yes, there are still things I don’t understand but I know he is my Sovereign God and I must trust him. One day I will and we will all see the big picture.

I let few people have back stages passes to my life. I have a protective barrier I call “Shields” like Scotty on Star Trek. The ones that I have let in I am fiercely loyal to and would bend over backwards for them and they know it. I am still having to learn relationships lessons from time to time. I am at a different place than I have ever been in my walk with the Lord. Now, I know to apply the wisdom of God found in his word when things happen that I have no control over. IF it is one thing this middle aged woman has learned is putting God first is the key to experiencing his best. Go to the Lord first. Go to the word first not as a last resort. One thing I feel so strong about is to help others younger than myself so they will be so much further along in their journey with God when they are my age.

Properly applying the wisdom of God found in his word can assure us that we do not have to use trial and error to learn how to win friends and influence people . Let God be your guide. He has plans for us and they are for good and not for harm. We need to cherish each other and our gifts and know one is not greater than the other. We are suppose to help each other and encourage each other.

We all must learn that constructive criticism is not bad. To construct is to build something up not tear it down. True friends help you be a better YOU. Call you out when you are not acting right. Tell you when you have food in your teeth. Your zipper undone. Your nose is dirty. Girls, when shopping with you, they will tell you the truth if your butt looks great or not in those jeans. HA They will help you find the perfect outfit and tell you, “You are stunning”. They can be TRUSTED. (Trust- an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength of someone or something, one in which confidence is placed) They are there in the laughter and they are there in the darkness. Through sickness and health. Through promotions and loss of jobs. When they say they are praying for you well, you KNOW it. They pray WITH you.Godly friends, may we cherish them, may we raise them, may we be them.

Folks, life is all about relationships. Loving each other in truth. Loving each other as Christ loves us. Remember, we are COMMANDED to love each other and encourage each other. Friends are friends forever if the Lord is lord of them. Love that old song As friends of Jesus. our purpose is to KNOW him as Savior.FOLLOW him as Teacher. PROCLAIM him as Lord. GROW in our love. GROW a servant’s heart for God, for one another and all people.

We must KNOW and BELIEVE and REMEMBER- We can be the change we want to see in this world if we will embrace each other and strengthen each other. Think… who could be healed? Who could come to the Lord? Whose life can be better if we can all come together in unity and follow the teaching of our Redeemer?
After studying for days on this subject in the Bible there are more scriptures than I can list. Below are just a few…. The Lord takes relationships seriously since he spoke so much about it in his word. Obviously, it is VERY serious for Jesus, he died for you and for me that we may have an eternal relationship with our creator ~~~~ Maybe, just maybe we should invest and spend more time studying the word of God on Godly relationships.Trust in the Lord. HE IS FAITHFUL ~

Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times….

Proverbs 27:9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart and the pleasantness of one’s friend stings from his earnest counsel.

Proverbs 27:5,6- Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses

Psalms 141:5 – Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness, let him rebuke me, it is oil on my head . My head will not refuse it.

Proverbs 27:17- As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another

Proverbs13:20- He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 17:9- He who covers over an offense promotes loves,but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 26:20- Without wood a fire goes out. Without gossip a quarrel dies down.

Proverbs 20:3- It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Proverbs 10:19- When words are many sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 12:26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked leads them astray.

John 15:13- Greater love has no one man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:14- You are my friends if you do what I command.

Each day is a gift from God, let us untie the ribbons~~~~