Friendship

by Jessica Finney

Proverbs 18:24 A man who has  friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

There aren't too many people who will stick closer than a brother.  Most of the time brothers can torment their sisters or brothers, but no one else would dare  mess with them; they will have a fight on their hands.

I have had some friends and family that have went through a lot of troubles along their way.  Nothing that they have brought on themselves but some pretty drastic events in their lives.  As I am sure everyone can relate to.  

Do you notice in those verses it doesn't say anything about going to them to give them advice? Maybe we could ask Job's friends and see how that worked out for them.  We know that wasn't pretty.  It is so easy to try to say the right things that might make them feel better.  I am so guilty of that, when you know sometimes they just need you to stick close without saying a word.  I am not very good at that.  I want to try to make them smile when in reality I am making it worse.  

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls. For he has no one to help him up.

My cousin gave me a paper that had that verse on it with two girls on it holding each other up.  It was a perfect picture of what we are suppose to do.  Not only to be there for our friends but also to show  others about how God loves them. Because what better way to show God's love then to be there for one another?!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the many friends that you have given me and especially for those who stick closer to me then a brother.  Help me be the friend they need and put away my selfishness and show them the love they deserve.  Help me to keep my mouth shut when it is needed and open when you are using me to say what you want.  Help me to know the difference.  In Jesus name, Amen

My friend

This week, I am taking a different approach to this blog. No, it is not permanent for those of you who don't like change. However, I would like to try some new ideas: starting with today's blog. First off, let me thank a fellow blogger, Jeannie Alyce, for inspiring me to post about women today. She has been following the Olive Branch and has used Charity's devotion on her own site! You go girlfriend!

Second, I would like to dedicate today's blog to my friend Judy, who passed away suddenly less than two weeks ago. I believe that Judy didn't follow the crowd like others, but she made a path for others to follow. With God as her example, she lead many women to places we never thought we could reach.

As I mourn my friend, I cry. I smile. I remember. But most of all, I learn. I will tell my friends I love them and not worry about what they think when those three little words come out of my mouth. I will listen to God speaking to me - "make the path, Bethany". I will be proud of myself, for even the littlest accomplishments that I have tried so hard for.

Thank you to those who have followed our blog. We are God's children. We are called to do Godly yet womanly things, yet we are the same as every other woman out there. Some days we are scared, sometimes we are lonely, other times we couldn't be happier. But, one thing remains the same in each and every one of us - - - we are God's hands and feet.

Judy was God's hands and feet. Thank you, Judy, for you life, your sacrifices, your friendship. We love you and miss you.

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends".

Long Enough

By Bethany Lashbrook

This Week's Verse: James 5:7, "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains." (NIV)

Devotion: This week I was with a group of my dearly loved friends and we were all just “spent”. Have you ever used that word to describe your situation? We were exhausted, tired, frustrated and maybe even a little bit angry. Why had we gotten together for years to pray for situations that were still the same and maybe even worse than when we had started praying? Why hadn’t the Lord heard our cries and listened and answered these specific dilemmas we had prayed about? And then, amidst our tears, right in the middle of our desperate situation, one of my friends read Psalm 13 from The Message.

Long enough, God— you've ignored me long enough.
I've looked at the back of your head
long enough. Long enough
I've carried this ton of trouble,
lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
have looked down their noses at me.

Take a good look at me, God, my God;
I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
or laugh when I fall on my face.

I've thrown myself headlong into your arms—
I'm celebrating your rescue.
I'm singing at the top of my lungs,
I'm so full of answered prayers.

Then, with tears in each of our eyes we thanked the Lord for the answered prayers. No, they aren’t answered today, but they will be answered. For today, we can all rejoice that we let God know how it had been ‘long enough’ for each of us. Yet, we are rejoicing with him because he rescued us from the pain. He held us as we cried.

Lord, thank you for letting us be upset, aggravated, mad, and even frustrated. It is so wonderful that we can be honest with you and let you know how we have had it with our problems. Thank you, in advance, for the answered prayers. Thank you for helping us give our problems to you when we are so desperate to solve them ourselves. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application: Be honest today in your prayers to the Lord. He knows our thoughts anyway, but to say them out loud is a relief!

Power Verses:

Job 36:15, “But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.” (NLT)

Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (NIV)

1 Kings 8:28, “Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood? Why, the cosmos itself isn't large enough to give you breathing room, let alone this Temple I've built. Even so, I'm bold to ask: Pay attention to these my prayers, both intercessory and personal, O God, my God." (MSG)

Distress: Do Prayers Matter?

By Melissa Milbourn

This Week’s Verse: 1 Kings 8:49, “then hear their prayers and their petition from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause.” (NLT)

Devotion: Recently, while going through a season of distress, a friend reached out to me. This friend is not in my day-to-day life, so she really had no way of knowing what I was dealing with, or going through each day...but God did.

She reached out saying that God had put me on her heart and that she was praying for me, and is praying for me. This happened about a month or two ago, and God has not changed my circumstances. But what has changed is ME. Through her prayers, God has changed me, and because of that, I am able to handle the situation I'm in much better. I can see and feel the difference, because of her prayers.

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul is talking about a season of distress and what helped him through, and here is what he says:

"8-11We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS ARE PART OF THE RESCUE OPERATION—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part."

Maybe you've been praying for yourself, or someone else, and you feel as if your prayers don't matter. Be reminded today, that God hears your prayers, and your prayers make difference. Your prayers are part of the rescue operation. Keep praying!

Dear Father, if a woman reading this needs prayer, I lift her up to you now. Just as you placed my friend in my life to pray for me, I lift these women up to you. Lord, please help us to remain women of faith as You continue being our light, our love, and our encourager. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application: Is God placing someone on your heart? Maybe it is because you are to pray for her. In some circumstances, the Lord will want you to tell her you are praying for her. In others, he might want you to remain silent. Whatever the case, pray for your Christian girlfriends! We all could use some encouragement from time to time!

Power Verses:

Daniel 2:21, “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. 
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” (NIV)

James 5:16-18, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” (MSG)

Genesis 35:3, “Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” (NKJV)

I Wanna Thank You . . .

by Paula Sprigg

This Week's Verse: James 2:23, "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."(NIV)

Devotion:
. . . Thank you for bein' a friend. . . I wanna thank you . . . Thank you for bein' a friend!!!

We all have friends. We all--more than likely--have many friends. We go to dinner, play cards, take walks, go to the movies, go on vacations. I think you get the point: we spend time with our friends.

Some friends are those you can call--in the middle of the night if necessary--to pray with you when something terrible has happened. Or perhaps they pray for you when you are so burdened that you simply cannot pray. Those are the friends who know your plans; they know what you're doing throughout the week (and feed your cat when you're gone), they know what your kids are doing (and would spank them for you if it was necessary), they know what you're having for dinner tonight (which is good 'cause often times even I don't know that!), they know your deepest, darkest secrets (and they won't judge you). They know what makes you laugh, what makes you cry, what makes you do the 'happy dance', what you like for dessert (anything with cherries)!

Good friends will come to your house, sit at your kitchen table, and share their hopes and dreams with you. They might even ask for your opinion now and then! And once they've asked, they'll take the time to listen. They seek, listen to, and (sometimes) even take your advice when given humbly, and with compassion and genuine concern. They don't stomp their foot, and go away mad. They may have to ponder your words for a time, or they may never see your point of view at all.

But the sweet thing about that true friendship is that you know they still love you no matter what! True friendship begins with the journey of "Give-and-Take" on "Two-Way Street".

Abraham had a relationship with God that was just like that. But it didn't happen without Abraham putting some effort into it, without taking the time to know God. Of course, God knows everything there is to know about us--the aches, pains, joys, and sorrows, the number of hairs on our head, the number of days in our life. Even so, He created us to be in a relationship with Him and He wants us to know Him.

Abraham knew God so intimately, that God convened His heavenly council at Abraham's tent and shared His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah with him (Gen. 18:16-19). WOW! God actually came and had coffee with Abraham. And then, God actually listened to Abraham and . . . well, you know the story about how Abraham proceeded to argue with God about sparing Sodom and Gomorrah if 'so many' righteous people could be found. Abraham had the audacity to ask God not once, not twice, but SIX times to spare the cities from complete destruction.

Abraham knew that he risked God's anger by continuing to ask, but he also knew that they were good enough friends that he could beg forgiveness for his brazen behavior, and approach God with humility, and genuine concern and compassion for the people. Abraham and God knew one another. They talked together. Abraham listened to and obeyed God, and consequently God shared his plans with Abraham (and I like to believe it was over a cup of coffee or possibly a glass of iced tea!). And then God spared the lives of a few righteous people from the destruction of Sodom.

I don't mean to imply that we can change God's plans. But we might find it easier to hear Him and obey his will for our lives, if we know Him better. I think I'll fix another pot of coffee this morning, and spend some time getting to know my Friend better!

Lord, I want to know you better. I want to have a close and deep relationship with you. I want to know you, I want to love you, I want to see your face. I know that I can only have that relationship with you by spending QUALITY time with you each and every day. My prayer is that you will convict me of your desire to know me better, and create a burning passion within my soul to take our relationship to a whole new level.

Application: Do you KNOW your friend? How well do you know the one person who should be your best friend? Will you commit to taking some time each day to spend with Jesus either in prayer, study, or silent meditation/reflection and learn to know Him on a more personal level?

Power Verses:
Proverbs 18:24, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”(NIV)
Isaiah 41:8–9, “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend. I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.”(NIV)
Genesis 33:11, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. . .”(NIV)

Friends

by Bethany Lashbrook

This Week’s Verse: John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”(NIV)

Devotion:
Growing up in Marshall, I had the same friends from kindergarten all the way through high school. After parting from Marshall for several years to pursue a degree and start a family, Clint and I made the hard decision to move back home and raise our family in the town we both grew up in. I was excited. I had history in Marshall—friends—and we would just pick right up where we left off. Or so I thought.

Truth was, these girls were still all my friends, but we had grown apart. We were still (mostly) the same people, with the same characteristics, yet we had all changed. I was devastated. I never thought I would live in my hometown and be struggling to make a connection with anyone.
For a couple of years, I prayed to find my "best" friend again. I prayed and prayed that I wouldn’t feel so lonely and would regain that bond of friendship that every woman needs in her life. And, like I have said recently, “If you ask, He will give!” My, has the Lord provided friends for me! And not just one best friend, but many good friends that I lean on for support!

I have the Tell-it-like-it-is friend for when I am contemplating doing something un-Christian or un-lady like. Boy, does she ever set me straight—yet in a way I could never get mad! I have the Phone-call friend, who is only a phone call away. If I need something, she has got my back! I have the Praying friends who through the click of a mouse are praying for me all day, all week, or all month if I need. Lord knows I can’t live without these women in my life.

I have the I-never-thought-we-would-be-friends friend who has shocked me with her kindness. I have the Testimony friend who from sharing her testimony with me has helped me begin to understand and share mine. I have the Please-don’t-talk-to-me-about-religion friend whom I adore dearly and who, one day, might decide that my life is just as enticing as hers!

Even though these friends are all different, I know they are just like the friends of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-5. Jesus had entered a town called Capernaum. So many people had heard about Jesus being there, they quickly surrounded him and the home he was preaching in. Meanwhile, four friends carried with them their friend, a paralytic, on a mat to go listen to Jesus preach (or maybe even catch a glimpse of him). Since the crowd was so large, they decided to cut a hole (yes, cut a hole) in the roof, and lower their friend down on his mat straight to Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Notice, Jesus doesn’t say when he saw “his” faith; he said “their” faith. This man’s friends had so much faith and belief in not only Jesus, but also their friend—and that is why he stood up and walked right out into the crowd! Talk about some awesome friends! And that’s what the Lord has provided me with—some really cool, awesome friends!

Dear Lord, thank you for who you have chosen to place in my life. Thank you for such wonderful friends. Please help me to be just as good a friend to them, as they are to me. In your Son’s name I pray, Amen.

Application:
Has the Lord placed another woman on your heart lately? He might just be telling you to talk to her, and get to know her. That first phone call might be a bit scary, but once it is out of the way, the rest are much easier!

Power Verses:
Job 2:11, “When Job's three friends heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.”(NIV)
1 John 4:7, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”(NLT)
Matthew 21:22, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”(NKJV)

My Friend, God

by Bethany Lashbrook

This Week's Verse: John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (NIV)

Devotion:
What do you call your Lord? Is he your Rock, Redeemer, or Protector? Is he your Way, your Truth and your Life? Is he your Shepherd, your Prince, or your Father? He can be referred to as the Holy One, The Living One, and the Son of Man. He is Almighty, the Beginning and the End, and the Lord of Lords. Of course, he is our God, our Savior, and our Living Word.

And lately, He keeps telling me he is my Friend.

I have been going through a “dark” spiritual time lately. For no reason in particular I am struggling in my Christian walk. Maybe my mood is reflected upon days and days of no sun. Maybe I have cabin fever. Maybe I am just in a rut. Whatever the reason, I keep hearing my Lord say “talk to me, I am your Friend”.

I’ve never really thought of God as my friend, but rather as a Father. And, I don’t know about you, but there is a lot of “stuff” I don’t tell my earthly father, or my Heavenly Father. Yet just knowing that I have had a friend to talk to has made a world of difference these last several weeks.

Sure, I have plenty of Christian friends I could call. I have many who would love to talk with me to get me out of this funk. But for whatever reason, I have chosen to remain silent to them and be completely open with my Friend, God. He always listens. He always stays with me. He doesn’t ridicule my actions, yet He stands firm in the way of The Word, and reminds me of how I should be acting. He reminds me that my walk will not always be some glorious road; rather it has lots of twists and turns.

Thanks to my new friend, God, I have been able to release some stress through constant prayer to Him. I find myself whispering to Him at all times during the day. At night, when I can’t sleep, to prayer I go. I’m so thankful that I have felt His presence in my life and am rewarded from our friendship!

Lord, thank you for our friendship. Please continue to guide and direct me through this spiritual journey. Amen.

Application:
What do you call God? Is it time to see Him in a different light to further your relationship with Him? As I have heard it said: “go to the throne, not the phone”. The Lord is here to listen, at all times!

Power Verses:
James 2:23, "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."(NIV)
Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."(NIV)
Proverbs 17:17, "Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families’ stick together in all kinds of trouble."(MSG)

Suzy Sunshine Smackdown

by Kathy Lay

This Week’s Verse: Proverbs 25:20, “Singing cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing someone’s jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound.” (NLT)

Devotion:
I have a friend from my high school years that I rarely see or communicate with anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s because every several years or so, we’ll somehow reconnect, vow to keep each other updated via email, and then after exchanging a few “catch up” emails about what’s going on in our lives, she’ll just stop responding. Cold turkey. And I take it very personally and get my nose all out of joint about it. I start to wonder if she even likes me.

At Christmas I was expressing my frustration about this to my husband’s step-mom, Pat, who is acquainted with my friend. I told how I’d answer questions about what’s going on in my life with long paragraphs, trying to fill in the gaps of years since we’d last kept in touch, and then I’d get back nothing…NOTHING! Whew. I couldn’t wait for Pat to validate me with a sympathetic “Yeah, that’s weird. I wonder why she’d do that?”

But that didn’t happen. Pat kind of laughed and said, “Well, Miss Suzy Sunshine, maybe she just feels like she can’t compete with your life.”

Wha...What?

I was stunned. That couldn’t be it. Could it?

I still don’t know if that’s the real reason for the lapse in communication, but Pat’s words pierced my soul so deeply that I really had to stop and consider how I’d summarized my life to this friend in those few emails. I’d caught her up on cool ways God was working, on the kids’ activities, on Shane’s job and my job. I’d probably included some really cute stories about the kids.

No doubt about it, I’d glossed over the imperfections and the battles I face daily to focus on what’s good in my life. It was unintentional—I sure didn’t do it to compete, or to flash a big neon sign saying “Kathy’s life is perfect” in her face. I think did it because I felt our relationship had slipped from what used to be a close one into what was now a superficial one. So I gave her a superficial account. I’d hoped for our messages back and forth to get more personal, to expose more vulnerability, and to take us back to a more intimate level where I felt safe in sharing more. The real more. The messier more.

Would she have responded if I’d opened up about my frequent struggle with anxiety and depression? And that I have to repeatedly give those over to God or I’d be an even bigger mess?

Would she have responded if I’d mentioned some bad parenting moments? Some stupid fights? Some wrong decisions?

Maybe.

See, I’d broken one of the cardinal rules of effective communication: know your audience. In an over-eager attempt to catch up, I plowed ahead without gauging my friend’s “place”. This week’s verse clearly shows the importance of being aware of your friend’s status so that you know how to respond accordingly. If she was in a low place and I made it sound like I was in a high place, well…I might have been stealing her jacket or rubbing salt in a wound.

Every exchange any of us has with others is an opportunity to gauge where they are and respond appropriately. Romans 12:15 advises us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”(NIV)

That’s what a good friend does…

Now, excuse me. I need to go send an email. It’ll be short and it won’t focus on so much on me.

Father God, give us your empathy for others. In our conversations—whether in person, via telephone, or through electronic means—give us wisdom to know when to listen and when to speak. Guide us in discerning how to best meet the needs of our friends and develop our relationships into ones that are meaningful, real, and glorifying to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application:
Try to envision different reactions you might have if you’re talking to a friend who seems …tired, distracted, joyful, quiet, angry, goofy. How can you meet her where she’s at? What if her kids are interrupting and pulling at her? Does it matter if you’re in public or private? How might communicating electronically change the dynamics? Asking questions shows you are interested and you care. It also tells you more about “where” she is, allowing you to respond in the best way possible.

Power Verses:
Job 16:1-5, “Then Job defended himself: ‘I've had all I can take of your talk. What a bunch of miserable comforters! Is there no end to your windbag speeches? What's your problem that you go on and on like this? If you were in my shoes, I could talk just like you. I could put together a terrific harangue and really let you have it. But I'd never do that. I'd console and comfort, make things better, not worse!” (MSG)
Proverbs 12:18, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (NIV)