Tag: Friendship

Friends Who Would Not Give Up

The word friendship is a warm word, connecting the world together in a bond of peace, for it overlooks an offense and forgives it. The blessing that a friend brings is noticeable in times of one’s trials. Solomon said, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17). This is a good definition of friendship. The harmony existent in friendship makes one secure and confident in one another. The foundation of the love existent in friendship comes from the unselfish heart; a heart that knows how to deny self to reach out to a friend no matter what the circumstance. David and Jonathan were good examples of good friends.  We see it when Jonathan risked his own life to save David’s in time when his father wanted to kill him. He had no jealousy toward him knowing that David was to be the future king after his father’s death and not he. Even in its imperfection, friendship offers much good to those who have friends. In the report of Luke 5:18-10, there is a perfect example of friends helping their paralyzed friend to get to YAHSHUA for healing. Guided by faith, they lifted their friend up on the roof and lowered him through the tiles in front of YAHSHUA. This was an amazing act of courage compelled by compassion. Those men overlooked the possible danger ahead of them and the damage they were causing to someone’s roof, if that was the case. Faith took them to the Healer even if they had to break through a roof.  The Bible tells us that when they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of YAHSHUA (Luke 5:18-19).

When YAHSHUA saw their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you (Luke 5:20). YAHSHUA saw beyond the physical condition of this man. He saw the root cause of his problem. For him to receive his physical healing, his spiritual condition, had to be dealt with first. So, it was that this man left the place spiritually and physically healed at the words of YAHSHUA, “I say to you, arise, pick up your stretcher and go to your own house. instantly [the man] stood up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went away to the house, recognizing and praising and thanking God” (Luke 5: 24-25).  That was the day of his freedom, not only physical, but spiritual; a day of celebration in recognition and acknowledgment of the Son of God by all who witnessed the miracle. as we read, “And overwhelming astonishment and ecstasy seized them all, and they recognized and praised and tanked God and they were filled with and controlled by reverential fear and kept saying, We have seen wonderful and strange and incredible and unthinkable things today!” (Luke 5:26) The healing of that paralyzed man caused great awakening in the lives of all those present. The deed of friends toward one friend, resulted in more than his physical healing; it resulted also in the awakening of the crowd of Whom YAHSHUA was: the Messiah, the Son of God, Who was to come. As a result, a short- lived revival happened that day in the hearts of the people, although years later, the same crowd cried, Crucify Him, crucify Him!

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To Know God, Is To Be Known of Him

The desire of all who claim to be God’s children should be that of wanting to know Him; to know Him as Lord of our life, as we seek and acknowledge Him in every aspect of circumstance that we face.  Walking with Him day by day in the newness of life in Him. The key word here is relationship, for it is in relationship that we are connected with our Lord in good times, and in bad times. Relationship binds us to Him, while empowering us with spiritual and physical strength. This should be our most important and determined purpose while here on this earth. Paul counted everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ YAHSHUA his Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him; perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly that was his determined purpose (Phil. 3). For this reason, he was empowered by God’s strength in his trials, which were many in his life time as God’s minister. Paul’s life is an example of someone’s determined purpose to know God. It shows in his bodily and emotional sufferings when persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, without losing focus of his desire to know God. Suffering persecution for the sake of the Gospel is a true sign that we are in relationship with God.

The misconception that we are exempt from trials and sufferings when we walk close to the Lord, is one that has caused confusion and weakness of faith, for we were called to be molded into the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29). That means, our old and sinful nature, which is the soul comprising of the intellect, the emotion, and the will must submit and conform itself to God’s nature. The molding process is hard and painful, for we were born in sin, carrying the weight of iniquity of our forefathers. For this reason, we tend to be evil and contrary to God’s nature, as He has said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). The Lord, often calls us to the still waters, a place where we can be alone with Him. It is a place where we are spiritually refreshed in His presence, for water speaks of the Holy Spirit. His comforting presence refreshes us, and leads us close to God, by convicting and shaping our nature to His nature. The closer we get to Him the more that we see ourselves for what we are. YAHSHUA said to His disciples when life was so busy for them without even the leisure to eat, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place, and rest a while” (Mark 6:30). That’s what we should do today in our busy life style, and not run away from His presence. YAHSHUA wants our friendship with Him, as He told the disciples, “You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do” (John 15:3,14). Friendship is strengthened by doing what is pleasing to a friend and vice-versa.

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I have Called You My Friends

The word friend brings warmth to the heart that not even a fireplace in a cold winter could compete with it. It warms the soul of man with assurance and confidence in the person we consider a friend. A true friend overlooks many things for the sake of lasting friendship. But in spite of all that, there is no perfect friendship that will last a lifetime without disappointments and sometimes to the point of breaking the link of friendship chain.  I am sure that all of us in one time or other have experienced betrayals in our relationship with a friend. King David testified of that in Psalm 55:12-14: For it is not an enemy who reproaches and taunts me- then I might  bear it; not is it one who has hated me who insolently vaunts himself against me- then I might hide from him; but it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend;we had sweet fellowship together and used to walk to the house of God in company; and even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me (Ps. 41:9) Prophetic of YAHSHUA’S experience at the time of His ordeal fulfilled in John 13: 18 in YAHSUA’S  own words: …I know whom I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He who eats My bread with Me has raised up His heel against Me. YAHSHUA suffered the betrayal from one of His disciples, who were considered His friends.  Judas, in spite of walking with YAHSHUA as His disciples, experiencing first-hand miracles and the supernatural for three years, had not set his heart to be His friend, because he hadn’t accepted Him as the Son of God.  On one occasion, he criticized Mary for anointing YAHSHUA before His death. There was no room for anyone to do that, unless he was of the devil and was performing the deed of his father. As the son of perdition, He was available for Satan to enter him and perform the act of the betrayal of the Son of God. His heart was focused on doing that, even when there was the opportunity for him to repent at YAHSHUA’S warning.

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A Book of Remembrance

Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the lord and who thought on His name (Mal. 3: 16)

I remember when young while living in the orphanage in Brazil, I was given a book of remembrance where friends and acquaintances wrote beautiful thoughts of encouragement and what they thought of me. It registered sentiments that would later bring me memories of those days, although not all positive, but sifting them through in my mind, there were a few wonderful memories which I treasured. They bring me joy as I relive those days. It is to me a privilege to know that the Lord is aware and taking notice of the things we say that is pleasing to Him to the point of having them written in a special remembrance book.

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Lazarus, Mary and Martha

(John 11-12; Luke 10)

Lazarus, Mary and Martha were close friends of YAHSHUA. They lived in a village called Bethany on the slope of the Mount of Olives, two miles east of Jerusalem. Bethany is identified with the West Bank today, the city of Al-Eizariya- place of Lazarus in Arabic. Bethany is often mentioned in connection with important events in the life of our Lord, YAHSHUA. Lazarus, Mary and Marth, each had a memorable and personal experience with Him. Lazarus seemed to be the youngest of the three, for he was uninvolved, and passive. His name in Arabic was Eliezer, meaning, God will help. Eliezer was the name of Abraham’s eldest servant; he was from Damascus. He was a trusted servant, who found Isaac a wife at the request of Abraham.

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