Hi everyone,
Sorry this post is coming out a little later but I have been busy because…. I AM SHOWING MY COW IN MADISON, WISCONSIN AT THE WORLD DAIRY EXPO!!!!!! World Dairy Expo is one of the largest dairy shows in the world, people from all around the country and the world exhibit animals here. This has been on my bucket list since I was probably 10 and I am finally checking it off!!!! Before I start talking about what the Bible says about friends and friendship I want to say that last weeks blog post was AMAZING! Bright Eyes did an amazing job and I felt like God spoke through her. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
Today I am going to be discussing friends. All of us have friends. Friends are people we like to hang out with, talk to, and share life with. But have you ever stopped to think about what the Bible says about friends and friendship. One thing I have learned about friends and friendship is what is a true friend is and how to be a true friend.
According to the Bible the friends that you have influence your life.“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20 NLT The friends that you surround yourselves with will impact your decisions and your actions. Chaplain Ronnie Melancon once said, “Show my your friends and I’ll show you your future. That means hanging out with the people that don’t do their school work or ignore their parents and aren’t following Christ will impact how you do those things. I have heard people say “oh, my good influence will change them”. “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”‘ 1 Corinthians 15:33 Don’t let yourself become corrupt trying to fix someone. On the reverse side that means you need to be a good influence to those who chose to hang out with you.
According to the Bible friends need to encourage, convict, and steer each other towards Christ. Proverbs 27:17, “ Just as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” I know that might sound weird but it is just basically saying that what you do or don’t do for a friend has effects on them. As friends we need to remember that we have a commitment to call our friend out if they are doing something that is not Christ-like and to encourage them when they are doing something Christ-like. Saying that, we need to make sure that we consult God in prayer to make sure that he wants us to call the person out and the best way to do it. It is not done lightly. Proverbs 27:5-6, “An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from the enemy.” If you friend call you out on something, you need to look within yourself and seek God’s wisdom in addressing that problem. You also have to be willing to call your friends out, even if your scared they might get offended and not want to be your friend anymore. If that’s the case they were never a true friend in the first place. Hebrews 10:24, ” And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” We need to not be so focused on calling out sins with our friends that we forget to encourage them and tell them “good job” when they do something right.
In my opinion the true friends are the ones who constantly steer each other towards Christ and aren’t afraid to call us other out in our sin, but when they do, it is done in love not condemnation or hate.
I hope you all enjoyed this post and that it encouraged you in some way. If you want to know more about what God’s Word says about friends and friendship, please read the Bible. The concordance in the back of your Bible is a great place to start. I can’t wait read your comments and I hope you hop over to Bright Eye’s blog next week for more ATB.
Blessings to you all,
Farm Girl
