Friday

I have a friend who asked me the question how do you know if someone loves you. I paused for a moment and then told her that I could not answer in a simple text message. The next day as  I was thinking it came to me that I could have answered in a simple text message. I should have said compare the actions to those described in 1 Corinthians 13.  This is not the emotional love often described by society today but true love. I think the bigger question is how do I demonstrate my so called love for others.

Scripture:  John 15:12

My command is this: Love each other as I have Loved you.

 

Lesson Objective: To understand the depth of the love we should have for each other.

 

The word love is used 184 times in the New Testament KJV) and 219 times (NLV). This indicates the emphasis that Christ placed on the word during his time here on earth.  The Greek word for love is aigavph that we translate as Agape. This is the highest form of love that exceeds love for opposite sex or love for family. This love is reserved for God in that God does not only love but God is love.  This love is unmerited as stated in Romans 5: 7-8. There is nothing that we can do that will earn that love but through grace and mercy we have an opportunity to fellowship with Christ in that love.

Thought for today: The challenge for each of us is to love in the same manner as God loves us. We should love in spite of all of our imperfections and weaknesses.

Thursday

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4: 9

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor

Lesson Objective: To understand that we are not put on this earth to be alone.

There are some individuals who sadly believe that they do not need any one in their lives. They constantly work diligently by excluding others from their lives by their actions and words. They never seek friendships and relationships but instead wrongly believe that they can make it on their own. This is far from the truth and is not biblically correct. The Bible does not teach independence and sole reliance but exactly the opposite. The Bible teaches that we must be dependent on others for it is the will and design of God. Christ sent the disciples out two by two and even Christ asked the disciples to pray with him.

 

Thought for today: Have you done anything today that will exclude others from having a true friendship with you?

Wednesday

Scripture: Mark 9:35

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.

Lesson Objective: To understand the importance of putting others first, which is consistent with the teachings of Christ.

When a man first dates the love of his life, he takes her to the restaurant of her choice or the movie of her choice. He is so eager to please her that he puts his own wishes behind so that he can show her how much he loves her by putting her wishes and desires first. He delights in seeing the glimmer in her eye when she opens a gift or receives flowers. When we really and truly love someone, we get great joy in making them happy. Which is why we always are most happy when we do for others.

Thought for today:

How different would the world be if we all made decisions that was best for others rather than for ourselves

Tuesday

I do not like what you said but I love you saying it.

Scripture: Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Lesson Objective: To understand that true friends must be honest to each other.

True friendship is more than saying what one wants to hear. True friendship is being able to hold each other accountable. Many times we choose our friends because they laugh at our jokes or like the same things that we do. A Loving friendship is not based upon what happens when all is going well. It is based upon what happens when things are not going so well. A true friend is one that is not only there to pick you up when you are down, but also to provide honest and “bible-based” feedback when we are not following the word of God. A true friend’s wise counsel can keep us from making unnecessary mistakes in our lives. We must surround ourselves not with those who say what we wish to hear but those who say what we need to hear.

 

Thought for today: When a true friend offers you constructive criticism, do you thank them or do you get defensive?

Monday

Scripture: Proverbs: 17:17

It is interesting that often times we use the words” brother or sister” when describing a Church relationship or other special relationships. The Bible suggest that we should use the word “friend”. In today’s society we have come to misuse the word friend and use it to define anyone that we know that is not an enemy. A friend is more than that. Maybe we should be like the “Quakers” who call each other friends and really mean it.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Lesson Objective: To begin to understand the importance of friendship in the Christian walk.

Many in the world take friendship lightly. One can be friends today and enemies tomorrow. It is important for Christians to understand that friendship must be first defined by whether someone is a Christian and a part of God’s body. This may sound harsh but how can someone be your friend and not a friend of Christ. It is also imperative that one understands that the most important ingredient for friendship is love. A true friend is one that is honest and tells one what they need to know, not what they may want to hear. True friends make each other better. (Proverbs 27:17), Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 also discuss the need for a real friend.

Thought for today: Who are my closest friends and are they Christians?