Month: April 2018

It has been said, “In life, have a friend that is like a mirror and shadow; A mirror doesn’t lie and shadow never leaves.”
So true! Who do you call your best friend? Who is that one person who is your shadow? The one who knows you intimately — your sadness, happiness, silence, pains, disappointments, and hurts. Who is that individual who believes in you when you don’t believe in yourself? In Proverbs 17:17 Solomon says, “A true friend loves at all times.”

Everyone wants to be a light in someone else’s life, but who is your little candle that throws its beam of light and truth into your darkest hours? Friendship is an essential part of a fulfilled life. We are created to be social creatures and life without friends would be lonely and dull. Connection with the right people makes life more exciting and fulfilling.
On the other hand, let’s not sugarcoat this – sometimes those who call themselves our friends may cause us grief and hardship, constantly disappointing us. So what exactly is a friend? A friend is someone with whom you can be yourself without fear of judgement, someone you can confide in with complete trust, someone you respect and who respects you, not based upon worthiness but on a likeness of mind.

Yes, that’s completely true! But what does the Bible have to say about friends? Who is the very definition of a friend? The Bible takes it further — a true friend is someone who takes all your blame, shame, and punishment upon himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest definition of a true friend. He is the one who lay down his life for the sin of his friends (the world). In (John 15:13) Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

So here’s the question: If someone takes your punishment and is even willing to die in your place, wouldn’t you call him/her your truest friend, and your everything? Jesus did that very thing for you, me, and everyone….. Jesus’ death was a substitution, “the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3: 18)
I call him my true friend! The “Lion of Judah” became my best friend (The lion symbolizes royalty, power, dominion, strength. That’s the theme of the revelation of Jesus Christ). As my Lord and my true friend, he is the first one that I must go to and consult concerning my life. After all, he has the permanent mark of a true friend eternally etched on his hands (the wounds from the nails which pierced him).

Moreover, he knows all there is to know about us and wants the best for us. The king of Lions humbled himself and became a lamb and suffered for the sake of his friends. Wouldn’t you like to call him your friend?

Our neediness and God’s holiness are a perfect fit. He carefully designed us to have longings and feelings of incompleteness. If we don’t recognize and acknowledge these feelings, we will end up filling these needs with lesser gods (possessions, self-image, addiction, power, etc.), which will leave us unsatisfied. If we instead reach out to God in our neediness with humble hearts and desire to be blessed by him, we will see the fulfillment of his rich promises. I now rejoice in my neediness as it brings me continuously closer to his holy dwelling place.

Just like everyone else, when I rise up every morning, I have plans for the specific needs of my family and myself. These plans may be small or big, made in spur of the moment or far in advance. Even with all my planning, I must remind myself to be attuned to God’s plan. We all have a propensity to do what our flesh desires to do, without considering the outcome.

When we are determined to get our own way and insist on our agenda, we actually block God out of our consciousness. Rather than single-mindedly following some selfish goal, we must take a quick turn to God and ask Him to shine His light on our mission, so that we can see it clearly from His perspective. All it takes is a quick prayer, a simple conversation with our Creator. Of course, it must be done with an open mind and heart if we are to be receptive to His plan. I confess that sometimes I forget to pray before I move forward with my game plan. Other times I do pray about my idea, but without waiting to hear what God tells me to do. I hurriedly continue on with my original plan, then eventually face an unpleasant result. But the good news is that I’m beginning to recognize this! I’m practicing the act of “asking, waiting and obeying”. As painful as it is to wait (I’m not a very patient person), I’m learning to wait on God’s plan. The result is always beautiful, peaceful, drama-free, and satisfying. If our mission fits into His pattern for us, He will help us to achieve it. He will never let us down. And if our mission doesn’t fit into His plan, He will eventually change our desires to align with His own.

(Matthew 6:33)
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

God wants us to live from our deepest and truest center in him. He longs for us to have a raw and authentic relationship with him and humbly bring our needs to him. He doesn’t want his children to hide and wrap their true self with good deeds and flowery talk. Let us allow his love to penetrate deep within us, so that we will live a pure and blameless life.

I don’t know what road you are on, but I can tell you this; the road that I’m on highlights all my needs. And no one can fulfill them but God. My weaknesses are evidence of my need for a savior. Are you in need of a savior?