Friendship

Cutting Each Other Off

[419 words] Talk about going to extremes! A man in Maine took a Sawzall and cut his neighbor’s garage in half. Since part of the structure was on his property, Gabriel Brawn had a legal right to do it. The overlapping garage hadn’t been a problem for years, as his relationship with the previous neighbor…

The GIFT of a Great Relationship

[388 words] We just love getting gifts, don’t we? How wonderful it is having someone think of us and spend time and resources to get us something special. It lets us know that we are loved. And, of course, we should be most thankful for the love and gift God has given us in Christ…

Choose Your Friends Wisely

[248 words] Life is filled with choices. We chose what we do for a living, what we eat, where we live, etc. One of the most challenging is the choice of friends. Solomon the wise prophet told us: “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26).…

What is a Friend?

[122 words] A friend is someone who knows us and loves us in spite of all our faults. It is someone we can depend on even when it takes great effort on their part (think “Jesus”). A friend is someone we trust, respect and depend on in times of need as well as in the…

Do Better Than Job’s Friends

[441 words] Job had been sitting on the ground in misery. Everything had been taken from him. He showed amazing restraint after losing all his possessions. Even more incredible self-control was on display when he was told about the death of his children. Even after being afflicted with a painful illness, even after his own…

Expressions and Impressions

[449 words] Are you approachable? It is likely each of us can say, “Yes, I am approachable. Why do you ask?” It was not long ago that I heard a sister say to the preacher, “You’re approachable.” This is an interesting remark. Is the case that some in the congregation, perhaps Bible class teachers, other…

A Poke in the Eye With a Sharp Stick

[274 words] A good friend in Lake City, Florida, uses this title phrase as an exaggerated way of expressing how good or enjoyable a thing is. He will say, “Why, that is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.” The Lord used something similar to warn the Israelites of the dangers…

‘But Amnon Had a Friend’

[394 words] “And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for…

Precious Wounds

[428 words] Paul exhorted, ‘Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV). We want to “encourage one another” as Christians, but what does that involve? Our minds immediately go to positive remarks and actions that impart courage, confidence and support. Consider another, less appreciated but…

Stay Away From These People

  [537 words] The wise man himself, Solomon, tells us not to get close to: People who are always changing their mind. “Meddle not with them that are given to change” (Prov. 24:21). You can’t depend on these people. You can’t trust them. They have no convictions or principles. They change with the situation. They…

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

[195 words] “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But, there is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). We all have a Friend. Jesus left heaven to come to earth to live–and die–for you and me. He was tempted just as we are so He would know the trials…

Hold to Good People

[172 words] All of us know that “evil companions corrupt good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). But many of us seem to prefer the company of bad people rather than good people. Good people will be at worship on Sunday. They will sing praise to God, pray and study together; but many had rather sit beside…

The Warning Sign

[349 words] Argentinean race driver Juan Manuel Fangio was only a lap through the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. As he approached a dangerous bend for the second time, Fangio noticed that something was wrong. The faces of the spectators, which he usually saw as a whitish blur as he drove by, were all turned and…

The Blessing of Christian Friends

[331 words] One of the great blessings of being a Christian is that you are not the only one. Though at times you may, like Elijah (1 Kings 19:10), feel like you are alone in the fight, the reality is that there are many other kindred spirits fighting the same battles and bolstered by the…