This Wednesday I celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday. Yes, if you have not had this knowledge, I am just a young man who loves the Lord. But anyway, I didn’t come to talk about my celebrations. And yes, something that caught my attention when I received some messages. Even before this day I was thinking of writing about friendship.
In my time living outside the church I was always surrounded by people. It has never been my personality to be someone who prefers to be alone. The problem that some people have already lived in the time they were estranged from the practice of the Christian faith is that friendships hardly are deep. As I mentioned in the last text, Christian love never demands anything in return. We surrender ourselves (at least we should) to the others as Christ did for us. And by understanding that people who do not practice love are not perfected in God constantly. We understand that there will hardly be an unconditional exchange in a friendship where Christ is not the center.
Friendships Strengthen Christian Walk
In a short time living inside the church, I found a family. I have made friends and started to reflect on how important it is to have people alongside us who are heading toward the same goal. Most of the messages I received were about one day when I delivered a word of encouragement. Or how they see the Christianity through my actions.
Of course I do not agree with these statements, after all, I am a poor sinner like any other human. But they made me think about the importance of friendships. Just as love is perfected in us through the constant reminder of what the Christian faith is. Having people by our side reminding us of who we really are and how we have had a good impact on their lives through the love of Jesus is something that strengthens us greatly.
When we do not see tranquility and peace. We have people who remind us where to find it. If we get discouraged, we have people by our side who push us to keep looking. When we need to confess our sins, we do this to those who have been justified in Christ Jesus (James 5:16). Paul had Timothy, Elijah had Elisha, David had Jonathan, and several other friendships are mentioned in the Bible. So I see that i impossible to “be a Christian alone.” Even more thinking that God created men in order to reign all over the earth together and not just to be lone wolves that roam around thinking only of themselves.
Don’t walk alone
Valorize the people who walk by your side. People who love you with the love of Christ and seek to be perfected by His love, and who constantly devote themselves to see your growth. Always strive to stay close and keep good friends near. So that the love between all may be shared and that all may be constantly transformed, getting rid of gossip and evil that are works of the flesh.
We must not forget that it is always necessary to review friendships that do not fit the biblical standards and have caused us to stumble more than we repair ourselves day after day in order to live a blameless, holy and just life worthy of those who have been called to be children of God. I am not telling anyone to abandon non-Christian friends, but it is far better to influence them to the good than to let them influence us for things that do not fit God’s sovereign will.
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I say amen we need each other and God in the center
May God continue to Strengthen you
Beautifully written! Continue to allow the Holy Spirit to use you.
Thanks alot for the best information. I have learned alot
Thank you for the word of wisdom
Thank you for insight its a blessing you found the savior at such a young age . I’m about to walk alone, do to not finding my salvation in time please pray for me and my wife.
Blessings be upon you always
Just wanted to say Happy Birthday
Just like to say Happy Birthday
Very inspiring. It still boils down to your core foundation and where you truly anchor your life.
God bless you young man!
So, true in a time where we have so much social media but not a church to invest in or a group of believers to fellowship with. I will serve and connect even more in my church in the Spirit’s strength. Thank you brother.
Thanks Marcelo, I appreciate the article that we believers need support and fellowship with other believers in order for us to stay strong in the Lord. I admit I’ve been slacking in my Christian duties and I know I need to get back to Christ.
Thanks a lot
I walk alone, not because I want to. Sometimes I feel like the Lord wants me to be alone. I do pray thats not the case.
Thank you for this
I have been struggling to understand if I am supposed to allow certain people in my life.
I connect to your grace,this yr medium has changed my life mightily
Also, Happy Birthday 😊 I hope it was blessed and the year to come blesses you also. You might want to edit your ‘about me’ now though 😁
It must be noted that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We are to be in the world but not of it. That is how people see God, turn to Him, and praise Him.
We are His hands and feet and should not avoid the lost, those who do not know Him yet.
You will never lose sight of Him if you pray continually. There may be many who seek Him because you were in the world around those who did not yet know Him.
We are not called to just spend all our time with people who already know of Him.
These people are the ones who should be edifying and correcting each other so the faith is kept; like being refreshed after a hard day in the field.
But to avoid those who do not profess Christainity is a mistake. The way you live will show them who God is just like the way Jesus lived showed us the Father.
It is the continual relationship with God and His already established body that keeps you in check.
If this is not applied then do not be surprised if you hear the Lord say “Away with you, you who do iniquity, I do not know you.”
We are called to love ALL people and many times the most difficult ones are the ones who need love the most and can be found to turn the most profoundly to the Lord, look at how difficult Paul was and now he is known as one of the most dedicated to the faith.
I am 100% agreed with this. It is important to emphasise that we need to persue the presence of God at all times. This to ensure we are the one who influence them and not the other way around. We need to be wise and if deep inside we know that we are going through a time that not feeling particularly strong in the better spend time wiyh those who van help us strengthen ourselves. Then once we know we are strong again we must be continue being the light and the salt of those around us.
Loving the difficult ones…
Thanks for sharing. Blessings in your new season of Life.
Thanks for your insight, it ties in very nicely to what we have been studying this quarter, being neighborly and loving to others, being His hands and feet.
Thanks for sharing. It was a great read.
Thank you for sharing. It’s good to know that there are good ppl in the world
Perfect. How do I get a hard copy of this?
Thank you for sharing. In fact a good friend will do that.
Through the redemption of Christ Jesus, you ain’t no longer a sinner but a saved man.
Excelent text! Thanks. God bless you
I’ve been in exile over my sin for nearly four years. I’ve been walking alone for a very, very long time. May the Lord be merciful to all that he may restore and heal lands that have been left desolate over sin.
Should you force people to be with you , when you see they don’t have interest in you?
You can’t force anybody. 🙂
If they don’t want to be near they won’t be!!!
Sometimes we only think to know what others think, especially when it’s something bad. Usually it’s not true but the enemy is trying to make you believe so.
Hellow my name is Kevin, I’ve been a Christian for the past 7 years. Friends I have at the moment are not born again Christians and they practice other rituals that are forbidden in my relationship with God, I always try to stay away from them for a moment so I won’t be involved in their stuffs.
I struggle a lot with loneliness and depression because I have no one to talk to when I’m in trouble, it’s not easy trust me. I always try to make friends at church but I fail, most of people in there have pride and so they don’t talk to anyone.
So I need an advise on what to do about this, it always the easiest to make non Christian friends because of my personality. Im a very kind, loving, caring person but when it comes to christians, I don’t know what happening. ..
You know what, you can by telling Jesus to send you the kind of friends that can bless your life and pray to be a blessing to others yourself. Have an open heart ruled by the spirit of God and I assure enduring and faithful friends you will find
Church is a body. Do you know what part of it you are?
Sometimes you have to part with non Chris tian friend and family because they won’t follow Christ
Only if it impedes on your own walk with Him. Otherwise with patience and time in an established relationship with such they could come to Christ through how you live your life showing who He is…love is patient, kind,….also the gifts of the Spirit are love, peace, patience, kindness…a genuine follower will display such traits and others will see and desire the same for themselves.
Well spoken I have my own Elijah my God what a revelation
Oppression, toil , friendlessness. – I repent, and my testimony is to come soon in Jesus Christ name.
Thank God for succeeding making you a tremendous concern for a happy hope and reality, Jesus Christ is Lord.
Praise the Lord!
Your message is an encouragement … All glory to God !
I am someone who does get discouraged and when that happens there’s always my close ones and my church to help me through..
Thank u for the message😳
I love your story my husband left me about three weeks ago, I have over 2500 in bills I have to take care of by myself .Your story sounds so much like mine but I know I have to stay strong.
Stay strong sister, God will help u..
Stay strong
2 Corinthians 9:8
[8]And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: keep saying this verse and meditate it and watch God set you debt free