With Friends Like These

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

-- Proverbs 18:24

Who is your BFF (Best Friend Forever)? And for that matter, what’s the mark of a true friend?

Writer Elbert Hubbard defined a friend as “… someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” Actress Marlene Dietrich remarked that the friends who matter are the ones you can call at 4 a.m. But President Harry S. Truman was less sentimental about friendship. “If you want a friend in Washington,” he said, “get a dog.”

Maybe President Truman was onto something. After all, dogs are known to be

loyal and committed. And it just happens that loyalty and commitment are rare qualities that God values in his people. Joshua — one of the great servant leaders of the Old Testament — displayed this trait when he challenged the tribes of Israel to choose who they would serve: the false gods of their ancestors or the one True God.

“But for me and my household,” declared Joshua, “we will serve the Lord.”

Jesus also seeks total commitment from his modern-day followers. Rather than would-be believers who might help build his kingdom if it’s not too inconvenient for them, Christ demands an all-or-nothing relationship from those willing to give the little they have to eventually gain everything.

Does this sound unrealistic? Jesus’ disciples once thought so. One day, a rich young man asked Christ what he had to do to gain eternal life. Knowing what was in the man’s heart, Jesus reminded him about following God’s commandments about theft, adultery, murder, lying, and honoring one’s parents. When the man replied that he had kept these laws since childhood, the Savior told him that he lacked just one thing: the need to sell all his possessions.

Jesus knew that rather than loving God with all his heart, soul and mind (the first of the 10 Commandments), the rich young man was more devoted to his money. The would-be follower was crushed by Jesus’ harsh revelation and soon turned away.

How about you? As Christ-followers, we demonstrate our commitment and loyalty — as well as our friendship with him — by showing kindness to those Jesus calls “the least of these.” They might be famine victims in Africa, tsunami survivors in Asia or fellow citizens in America who are picking up the pieces after a wildfire or tornado. But then again, those who most need our kindness might be much closer: perhaps next door, down the street or even across the living room. They might be total strangers. Or they could be your family members, your friends ... or even your BFFs.

Conversations with God

But please listen to my prayer and my request. I am your servant, and you are the Lord my God. Hear this prayer that I am praying to you today.

– 1 Kings 8:28

We enjoy some very special privileges as Christ-followers. One of the greatest is the ability to go to God in prayer about our blessings, troubles, concerns and everything else that’s going on in our lives. Prayer is a give-and-take conversation. And it’s all possible through our faith in his Son, Jesus.

But if we have such a special relationship with the Creator, why is it that some

of our prayers go unanswered? After all, there are times when even the most seasoned Christ-followers feel like their petitions go no higher than the bedroom ceiling.

Let’s keep in mind that prayer is a bit like a long-distance phone call. Sometimes the message comes through loud and clear — as if the other person is in the next room. But sometimes there’s static, or the call doesn’t go through at all.

There are several reasons for these dropped calls to God. First, we need to make sure that the line is clear by dealing with any unconfessed sin in our lives. Likewise, if we’re carrying a grudge against someone — like a spouse or co-worker — it needs to be ironed out before we can expect God to listen to us. And faith also plays a big part in the equation. If we pray, but don’t think God has the power or desire to deal with our issues, why even ask in the first place?

But what happens when we pray sincerely and with good intentions, but our prayers still go unanswered? What’s important to remember is that God really does answer all prayers. It’s just that sometimes the answer is “no” or “not now.” As the Creator of all things past, present and future, he knows the big picture — the people, places and circumstances that make all the difference in the world to our situation. It's only later that we'll realize that God had a much better plan for us all along: not for what we wanted, but just for what we needed.

The Jealous Type

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

-- James 4:2

Millions of Americans invest in their health by working out at the gym, eating organic foods and avoiding excess sugar and fat. Nevertheless, our nation still has a heart condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women. Every year, it claims the lives of about 610,000 Americans — as well as about 17 million others around the globe.

Heart disease is more than a physical infirmity — it’s also a debilitating and deadly spiritual condition. One variety is jealousy, and there are several well-known cases recorded in the Bible. The first occurs within the opening chapters of Genesis between brothers Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was jealous that God preferred Abel’s offering over his own. And unable to control his bitterness and envy, he killed Abel, and then tried to mislead God about his crime. When his Creator asked about Abel’s whereabouts, the murderer responded, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

It’s later in Genesis that we find another instance of jealousy and deception. This time it involves Joseph, the son of Jacob — the patriarch of the nation of Israel. Jacob doted on Joseph, and the boy’s older brothers resented it. Joseph also didn’t win their affection by telling them about his symbolic dreams, which suggested that they would one day bow down to him. What’s more, Jacob had presented Joseph with a special coat of many colors, which signified the prominence of his handsome young son in his heart. One day, when Joseph ventured out in the fields to find his brothers, they spied him from afar and conspired to kill him. But they soon had a change of heart and instead decided to sell him into slavery.

Although the brothers’ horrendous deed led to years of heartbreak and struggle for both Joseph and Jacob, God used their jealousy as a vehicle for good. Joseph was both blessed and protected while in captivity. And he gained favor in the eyes of Egypt’s pharaoh — so much so that he eventually became the second-most powerful man in that nation. When a famine spread across the region, Joseph would even use his God-given wisdom to rescue millions of people from starvation — including his brothers and father. And yes, the brothers did bow down to Joseph, just as his dreams had predicted.

“You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good,” Joseph explained, “so that it would come about as it is today, with many people’s lives being saved.”  

Are you the jealous type? Rather than envying each other’s accomplishments, possessions or good fortune, the cure for jealousy — the so-called Green-Eyed Monster — is to adopt an attitude of gratitude for our own many blessings. Let’s take this passage from the Book of Jonah to heart:

“But as for me, I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation and deliverance belong to the Lord!”

Generous Toward God

A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

– Proverbs 22:9

Compared to most of the world's population, Americans are incredibly rich. When we're hungry for a snack, all we have to do is walk to the kitchen for some fresh fruit -- or more realistically -- a bag of chips or a tub of Rocky Road ice cream. And if we're running low on supplies, a quick trip to the supermarket or gourmet shop fills up the fridge in no time. We quite literally enjoy an embarrassment of riches.

Even Americans who receive government assistance are rich by the world's standards. But if you’re a Christ-follower (rich or poor), you’re called to give richly from your possessions and resources. That’s because God blesses you and me in a myriad of ways, day in and day out. He's also the ultimate giver, and he wants us to be that way, too.

Think about the many blessings he gives us every day. They vary, but tend to

include things like our health, job, home, family, friends and church. And what about God's ultimate gift: forgiveness of our sins and an eternal relationship with him through our faith in Jesus?

God also wants every Christ-follower to abandon greed. But to do that, we must trust him rather than our riches. After all, bank accounts and retirement funds can be wiped out overnight through unexpected circumstances and economic uncertainties. Just ask anyone with a 401k!

So what's the benefit to us? 

As the apostle Paul explains in 1 Timothy, giving back richly toward God and his purposes renders much more than just a warm feeling of self-satisfaction. Think of it as a guaranteed high-yield investment with dividends that you'll enjoy forever in the world to come. God challenges us to overturn our preconceived notions about money and possessions. Through his design, giving richly becomes getting more:

"By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future," Paul says. "Then they will be able to have the life that is true life."

It's every Christ-follower's mission to serve as God's hands and feet on earth by feeding the hungry, healing the sick and housing the homeless. So by making generosity a spiritual habit and thus being generous toward God, we'll become more like him to help change our world for the better. Jesus sums up this principle through this reminder to us in Matthew 25:40:

"... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Anger Management

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

-- Matthew 5:22 

Comedian George Carlin once observed that an "idiot" is anyone on the highway who's driving slower than you. A "maniac," on the other hand, is anyone who passes you in traffic.

Although Carlin's commentary was definitely tongue-in-cheek, many people actually act out these same perceptions through road rage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines road rage as an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger(s) of another motor vehicle, or an assault precipitated by an incident that occurred on a roadway.

Road rage experts say the most obvious form of this criminal offense is aggressive and excessive speeding — particularly on congested highways or in bad weather. Causes include increased

congestion on the roadways, running late (too many obligations), increased levels of intra- and interpersonal stress, and the need to "save face" and overcome feelings of being disrespected by another driver. Most telling, however, is that the NHTSA also identifies chronic or pathological anger as a leading cause of this disturbing phenomenon.

Maybe that's not too surprising. After all, anger is one of mankind's earliest and strongest emotions, and it played itself out within the first few chapters of the Bible in the form of the world's first murder.  

We couldn't control our anger back then in that quiet, agrarian setting, and we still can't today on our 24/7 traffic-snarled highways. But Christ-followers are to live at a much higher standard. In fact, gentleness is one flavor of the fruit of the Spirit that proves God is living through us. With this in mind, note that gentleness isn't another word for wimpiness. Jesus was gentle — but he was hardly a wimp. Instead, biblical gentleness is the transformation of our innate anger into the power to do God's will in the world. Gentleness is therefore power focused on the positive.   

If you're a Christ-follower who's still a bit of a road warrior, take heart. The transformation from our old self into a new creation is a work in progress that's on God's timetable. It's a change that takes place bit by bit and day after day along each step of our faith journey. But the problem is that the journey's pathway is narrow, twisting and full of unexpected hairpin curves. And when we don't keep our eyes on the  destination, we tend to end up in the ditch.

Jesus told his disciples to expect bumps and potholes in the road. "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come," he explained. "But woe to that person through whom they come."

Road rage is more than a crime: it's a sin. But the good news is that we're free from sin's power and don't have to accept its dominance in our lives. It comes down to our ultimate trust and dependence on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. So when we slip up and give in to temptation and bad habits on the highway — or a thousand other places — we can freely ask for help from the One who has already paid the ultimate price for all our mistakes: past, present and future.

Guilty As Sin

Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.

– Ezra 9:15

It takes just a single word — positive or negative — to paint a vivid picture of someone. For example, we might link words like genius or visionary to Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, or leader to George Washington and Martin Luther King. Likewise, we might label Ted Bundy or Hitler as murderer.

How about you?

Would you label yourself as generous, energetic, successful … or maybe humble?

Or what about lonely, abused or divorced? How about addicted?

Ask that question to 20 different people, and you’ll probably get 20 different answers. But the apostle Paul tells us through the Book of Romans that there’s one word that fits everyone: GUILTY.

He explains that everyone (that’s you and me) has in one way or another broken God’s perfect Law. That’s because we’ve all lied, cheated, stolen and killed — either literally or figuratively. We’re all guilty as sin. And according to God’s Law, the death penalty is the just response to our wrongdoings.

Scripture affirms this. It’s in Romans 6:23 that we read, the wages of sin is death.

But here’s the good news. This same Bible passage adds that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Paul writes that God paid the penalty we all deserve through the death of his own son (Jesus) on the cross. So as far as our Creator is concerned, we’re considered INNOCENT and are now free to live out our lives and follow his ways.

Have you put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If so, he’s cancelled your debt, and your label is now not guilty.

Mission Possible

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

    and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

-- Luke 4:18-19

Many companies and organizations have a mission statement, which is a written declaration that sets out their purpose, work and goals. For example, CSX Corporation strives to “… be the safest, most progressive North American railroad, relentless in the pursuit of customer and employee excellence.” Levi Strauss & Co.’s mission statement says, “People love our clothes and trust our company. We will market the most appealing and widely worn casual clothing in the world. We will clothe the world.” Meanwhile, The Hershey Company — the manufacturer of delicious treats such as Twizzlers, Hershey’s Kisses and

Reese’s peanut butter cups — gets right down to business with its stark mission statement: “Undisputed Marketplace Leadership.”

A common denominator here is the principle of return on investment, primarily to the organizations’ customers and stockholders. After all, these companies understand that they would not exist without their investors’ ongoing confidence and support. Likewise, their backers expect to see positive results from the company in one form or another.  

This is hardly a new concept. About 2,000 years ago, Jesus told a story about a master who gave three servants a considerable amount of money (“talents”) to invest while he was away on an extended trip. After a while, the master returned to claim what was his. He was very pleased with the first two servants, who had invested what he had given them and doubled the master’s money. But it wasn’t so with the third servant, who feared his master’s stern reputation and sought to avoid a loss. He played it safe and literally buried the money in a hole in the ground. The master was displeased, to say the least! Instead of commending the servant’s concern for safeguarding his resources, he was furious because of the wasted opportunity to invest and multiply his treasure.

That’s where Jesus’ mission statement for his followers enters the picture. God has given us various resources, skills, opportunities and circumstances for investing in the spiritual lives of others. They could be as close as your spouse, sibling or child. But they might be a coworker, neighbor or someone God puts in your path at a most unexpected moment.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you,” Jesus assured his apostles, “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

How are you using the talents God has given you? Are you investing them boldly in the lives of others — or are you simply playing it safe? It’s through Jesus that our mission is possible.