On Sunday I brought a message about friendship. I said it is the most valuable possession we have on this earth. (Of course that doesn't include our relationship with God!)
I also said that it is the only thing we can take with us to Heaven! If that is so and if friendships are so valuable, why don't we take the time to invest more in them?
Friendships occur on three possible levels...
Acquaintances- I know you.
Associates- I am allied with you in a mutual venture. (neighbors, co-workers, etc.)
Affectionate soulmates- I know you very well, trust you deeply, and love you!
Jesus had friends during His time on earth. A prime example is His friendship with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. John 11:11
Another example is His friendship with those far away from God. Luke 7:34
One of my long time friends, from way back in church youth group days, is pastoring Pathway Church in Alabama. Check out his website and link to his blog. Brian is a great family man and pastor.
Who are your friends and are you taking time for them?
I have been blessed with several friends in all the areas that you spoke about on Sunday. But it is the Affectionate Soulmates that really do mean the most. I have several that I have gotten close to in our year at LifeBridge. I have one dear friend that I had lost touch with over the last year and just got reacquainted with her. We had a heart to heart talk one day and found that we were both grieving the loss of the closeness of our friendship and need to reassure each other that we were committed to the friendship and that we would work to bring it back to life. She is a christian too - and it was a great talk - heard some hard things from her - that she thought I had "dumped" her for my new friends at church - but an Affectionate Soulmate can tell you those things - because you need to hear them and it only means they really love you and cherish your friendship.
I thank God for all the different kinds of friends that I have in my life. They are definitely a blessing from Him!
By Susan Skoda - Tue, 06 May 2008 08:46:39 GMT
It's great to know an old friend is still serving Christ vibrantly after all these years. It is also amazing that our philosophy of doing church is so similar. At Pathway, we too are trying to have church for the unchurched. Above our main entrance we have a banner that reads, "No Perfect People Allowed," because we want the unchurched to know that church should be a safe and loving environment for everybody.
Thank God for our pastors and spiritual mentors who sowed the seed in our young lives that motivated us to become weary with the status quo and willing to try and do whatever necessary to reach those who don't yet know Jesus. May we too sow the seed in such a way!
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May, 2008
in Alabama. Check out his website and link to his blog. 
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