Friendship 7-8-13 Exodus 33:11&17: “So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.’” Webster describes the word “friend” as “A person who is attracted to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.” Actually, the meaning of friend goes much further than feelings of affection. A real friend will be described with words like truthful, caring, kind, loyal, helpful, honest, forgiving, trusting, dependable, generous, available, responsible, sensitive, faithful, and honorable, to name a few. The Book of Proverbs, in the bible, says a lot about friendship. Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 18:24: “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 27:17: “As one piece of iron sharpens another, so friends keep each other sharp.” Most of you can think of a special friend right now, one who would come to your aid immediately if you called them. Those are very special friends, but they are usually very few. In our whole life we may call many people friend, but only a few of them will be lifetime friends. More than likely, you will be able to count those on one hand. The greatest friend we could ever have is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has already done all He could do to endear Himself to us. To enjoy that special friendship we only need to believe. Abraham believed God and he was called the friend of God. James 2:23: “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.” The Apostle Paul had good Christian friends and remembered them often. Philippans 1:3-4: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” A friend is one whom you can share your innermost thoughts and feelings with. They will not be condemning or judgmental. However, they will be very honest with you and hold you accountable. True friends will be good listeners. They will hear you out and give you good advice. They can be objective. Sometimes we are so emotionally caught up in a situation that we cannot see or think clearly; this is when a friend is priceless. A friend will go the extra mile for us without being asked. Jesus said that He did not call us servants, but friends, because He had revealed the Father’s will to us. John 15:15: “I no longer call you servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. But now I call you friends, because I have told you everything that my Father told me.” In our preview verses today in Exodus, we are told that Moses spoke face to face with God as unto a friend. It is not surprising then that God told Moses that He would grant his request. Friends do that don’t they? They do whatever they can to help their friends. In this case, Moses was weary and worn. He had led over a million people out of Egyptian bondage, and they had wandered around in the wilderness. Moses was tired, frustrated, and disappointed. Have you ever felt that way? Sure you have; we all have. Here is a good example of what we should do. Moses came to God and his request was simple: “If I have found grace in Your sight, show me Your way” (verse 13). When we struggle (and we will) with trying to decide what is right and what we should do in a particular situation, our first action should be take it to God. God said we should come boldly to Him to find help in time of need. He will respond to our request. He will not force His help on us, but he freely gives it. If I offered a hundred dollar bill to whoever asked me, but then negligently held on to it, that would not be freely giving it up. God does not play games with us. He wants to bless us, but we must come and ask, and then also receive it. If I offered the hundred dollar bill, but no one came and asked me for it, then it would go unused. God’s grace is sadly unclaimed because people do not believe and ask for it. We fear separation from our friends; how much more should we fear separation from God? He wants to spend quality time with us. He invites us to come to Him with our struggles and hurts, so He can encourage us and instruct us in the right way. He is our loving Heavenly Father; He wants to give us good things. Matthew 7:11: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” In closing, hopefully after today’s message, we will have a greater appreciation of our friends, especially God. We need to thank him for our friendships, those people He has placed in our lives for good. Take time just now to pray for your friends, and to thank God for His friendship. John 15:14: “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” “Father Lord, thank You for the valuable people we call our friends. Thank You for making them kind, thoughtful, understanding, and supportive. May we be the friend to them that we should be as well. Give us compassion and thoughtfulness, and give us spiritual discernment for when our friends may need a word of encouragement. Let us take action on the impulses You give us by bringing one of them to mind at a specific time. May we not discard those thoughts, but follow them up with an act of kindness. It will bless our friend, us, and bring honor to You. Thank You for hearing this prayer. In Jesus name I pray, amen.” In His service, James Harrison
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:07:38 +0000
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