Friends Forever ....

I've been thinking about what Friendship means over the past few days .... bout the past (a bad habit of mine), the present and I've given up trying to picture the future, when it comes to making friends.... And as today is Friendship Day .... I thought that this might be relevant ....

So when I think bout friendship I wonder, do we really know the meaning of that word ??? I mean the words 'friend' and 'friendship' are really powerful words but in this day and age its significance has been diluted by ppl in the virtual world who take pride in having hundreds of "friends" on facebook, and other social networking sites, who they barely even know, and ppl who in the real world are surrounded, by 'friends', but the truth is all those so called friends only see the benefits that they can suck out of that 'friendship', and once those benefits have been exhausted, the "FRIENDSHIP" also comes to an end ....

This reminds me of the verse from the Bible which says "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) I mean isn't that what friendship is really supposed to be about ... Isn't it supposed to be a relationship where two persons, according to wikipedia, have "mutual affection for each other", or as I would like to put it, where two persons help each other along in their respective journey of life, who thru the ups and downs, let every experience strengthen the bond between them .... But today this has become just wishful thinking ....

I have seen so many ppl who look like they are the best of friends, the way they walk, the way they talk and their actions all point towards an image of an 'unbreakable bond' of "friendship", but only when you look closely at them do u realise that their relationship has no foundation whatsoever ..... Its just a beautiful building, just waiting to crumble .... After seeing this it made me think that we should use the word 'friend' really carefully, because the truth is that most of the ppl we do know are actually 'acquaintances', and not 'friends' .....

I have personally had a lot of bad experiences in the area of friends, almost to the point where I was paranoid when it came to making friends ..... After tym and again being let down at every attempt at friendship, I came to this conclusion ..... 'I will never have a FRIEND in the true sense of the word' .... I lived like that until my eyes were opened to the truth, and I realised that I was ABSOLUTELY wrong.... I had a friend all along, one who never left my side, who stood beside me every time I cried and felt the same pain I did, who never betrayed me even though I was ungrateful and hurtful, even when I betrayed our trust, one who just loved me for who I was .... And only after I reached the end of my rope did I actually realise that .... It took me several betrayals, uncountable occassions of being hurt and finally reaching the end of my rope, to realise that JESUS was right beside me in every single one of those moments, carrying me thru ....

This reminds me of another verse from the Bible which says "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) I dont know a single person who would be willing to lay down their life for a person who has hurt, insulted, and stabbed them in the back, except Jesus, who did just that for you and me ....

 "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:7,8)

So on this day dedicated to friends, this is the message I want to pass onto those who think that I don't have anybody to call as friend .....You are never alone, though ppl whom u trusted may let u down, though there is pain and hurt in ur heart and though u may think that u have been scarred beyond the point of fixing, and the reason I can say this with confidence is coz Jesus, died in replacement of you and me, and He didnt remain that way He conquered death and now is, and always will be beside u thru the good and bad times, all u have to do is accept His free gift of love ..... And to those who have so many "friends".... I say this "Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?"(Proverbs 20:6) So beware of those you call as 'friends' ...

So this post is dedicated to my Best Friend Forever, JESUS and also to my true friends out there ....

Here's wishing you all a HAPPY AND BLESSED FRIENDSHIP DAY !!!!!



Never Let Go .....

Recently a friend came over for dinner and we started talking about life in general, about how our spiritual life influences our regular lives. She said that she heard a pastor say "Hold on or you'll be swept away". And I realised, I can relate to that. You see unless we hold onto Christ with everything we've got we get swept away by the strong current of Satan's lies. We no longer become stagnating Christians but backsliding ones.

A few months ago our church had a youth program where the theme was 'Be Fruitful', and one of the competitions held was a preaching competiton, one of the participants quoted the Bible verse which says :

"I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in Him bears much abundant fruit. However, apart from me, you
can do nothing" ( John 15:5 )

In this passage our life as a christian is described as a branch of a vine, who is Jesus Christ. Now if you take the branch away from its source and plant it else where it will not grow on its own, it cannot even stay in its present condition it will eventually wither and die. Thats what Jesus means when He says "apart from Me you can do nothing" and also what my friend meant when she said that you will be swept away. There is no middle ground, you're either supported by God's grace or you're dying.

I can give you an example from my own personal life. When I was in the 11th grade I had this girl who I called as my 'Best Friend', but at the back of my mind I knew that she was not the true friend that I needed. But my desire to have a friend was so strong that I ignored all of God's warnings and went on with the relationship, and all the while this girl was betraying me on the side. I went out of the way to stay in this relationship and in the process was pushing God away, but then God opened my eyes to see my folly through the wisdom of my mother, so the next year as we happened to be in the same class again I cut her relationship off from my life and it was as if my relationship with God was suddenly renewed with a new bond and strength, and although I did not get a 'best friend', I know that God is in control, and more than that He is my Best Friend.

Our part of this relationship with God is so simple, all He asks is that we accept the eternal life, that He freely gives us,and continue to obey Him, but if we reject that life we will wither and die as it is written in the 6th verse of John 15. So accept the love that Jesus gives to us through His death and resurrection.

Psalm 91

This is my Fav. Psalm it makes me fell safe always

1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6. nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
9. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is myrefuge
10. no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
11. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.12On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14. "Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
16. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Faith The First Step.

Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified)
"Now faith is the assurance of the things of the things we hope for, being the proof of the things we do not see and the conviction of their reality."
Hebrews 11:1 (GNV)
"To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see."
This is the exact definition of faith, but according to the dictionary it is simply unquestioning confidence or trust. In Mark 2:5,11,12
5. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
11. "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."
12And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

In verse 5 we see that Jesus after seeing the faith of the paralyzed man decided to heal him. In verse 11 we see Jesus speaking words of faith to the paralysed man.

Now we know that Jesus came to Earth as a Man. Jesus is referred to as a 'Man of Sorrows' in Isaiah and so forth. So when Jesus spoke to the paralysed man , He enacted faith. He put His entire trust and FAITH in God His father to heal the man. Jesus exercised His faith and so must we.

When Jesus spoke the words "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." It did not get over there, the paralysed man had to exercise his faith. According to Hebrews 11:1 we should be certain of the things we cannot see. To that paralysed man walking was an impossible task and it seemed the same to the bystanders. But in verse 12 the paralysed man exercises his faith and amazes everyone around him by picking up his mat and walking out.

So the first step in making your faith work is 'Read the Word of God', the second step is to 'Obey' the Word of God. The third step is to 'Act' on what you have just heard or read from the Bible or from a pastor. We must be doers of the Word, not someone who will just nod their heads in agreement. By reading the Word of God a seed is planted in our spirit then we must water it by obeying what it says and acting on it.

When we have faith we will see miracles, when we receive miracles and share them with others, our family and friends will be touched, and once they are touched by God , they will become saved. The cycle goes on, but it all begins with that seed of FAITH which grows when watered by the Word of God and Prayer.