BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion
one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.”
(1 Peter 3:8)
MEDITATION:
There are at least five qualities of friendship.
1. Harmony.
We are to be of one mind; not necessarily singing the same note,
but complimenting one another. Each one creating music in the
life of the other.
2. Sympathy.
We hurt when friends hurt. Instead of thinking they need to get
over it, we take the time to listen to them, and look for ways to
encourage them. Their pain may seem insignificant to us, but
we never know the magnitude of the hurt they are experiencing.
The world is looking for friends like this.
3. Fraternity.
We are to love one another like brothers and sisters. It means
we have a willingness to drop everything in order to be near
them when they need us. There is no brotherhood, like the
brotherhood in Jesus Christ.
4. Pity.
If we want to be a real friend, we’re going to have to deep feelings.
We’ll need to put ourselves in the place of the other person and
look at things from their perspective (which could probably be
quite different than ours). Rather than rationalize how they should
think like us, we instead, open up our hearts to try and understand
what they are going through. We become more concerned with the
pain in their hearts, than we are with how they should be strong
and change their thinking.
5. Humility.
Genuine courtesy is thinking of the other person’s needs before
our own. We become less concerned with our rights, and more
concerned about the nourishing our relationship. We patiently
listen whenever they are speaking, even if it is about something
we may not be interested in. If it is important to them to talk
about, the it is important for us to listen to them if we really care
about our friendship with them. It takes a strong person to become
a humble friend. Humility means we are strong enough to absorb
the negativity of others, rather than lashing out in retaliation for
the hurts they impose on us (this is what Jesus did for every one of us).
These qualities are what God wants to instill in His children.
Conversely, Satan wants to inhibit the development of these
characteristics. His weapons of prevention include:
pride, selfishness, egotism, dishonesty, hatred, discord,
discord, jealousy, anger, conflict, division, impurity,
addictions, etc.
In a letter to the Galatians, Paul clearly states that people who
allow Satan to infiltrate their lives will not be included in Heaven.
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this
will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21b)
ACTION:
Are you lonely and in need of a friend? Ask God to build
these characteristics in your life and to lead you to someone
with whom you can be a friend. Then, be a friend.
Every time we speak an unkind word to someone, or show
contempt for them in any way, I wonder if our loving Lord
feels the pain of the nails in His hands again. Friends are
those rare people who ask how we are doing, and then wait
to hear our answer. True friends discover they can grow
separately, without growing apart.
Begin to develop these characteristics of friendship in your life
and watch God change your world! The more you develop these
characteristics, the less room there is for Satan to develop the
opposing characteristics in your life. Satan is powerful, but in
your weakness, God will show Himself strong.
Jesus set the example of showing love (which nourishes friendships),
when He went to Golgotha and freely gave His life for mankind.
“If that isn’t love, then the ocean is dry,
there’s no stars in the sky, the little
sparrows can’t fly, and Heaven’s a myth.”
There’s no feeling like love – for both the giver and the receiver.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know better than I do how
the relentless attacks from Satan try to derail me
from developing the qualities in my life which are
pleasing to You. Father, You also know how it is
impossible for me to repel his assaults in my own
strength. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit
to give me encouragement, guidance, and strength
to resist the temptations from Satan. I pray that You
would help me to be a friend to others (which includes
my own family members), and to allow Your love to
flow through me. Teach me to become an encourager,
and not a discourager to others. Help me to discover
new ways to lift the spirits of the people I know, and
the ones I meet along the way.”
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