A friend loveth at all times

Proverbs 17:17 (KJV)

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

True friends have continuity and are constant in their nature to each other. True friendship is sincere and brings with it good intents and good principles. There are those who think they are good friends, but in truth they are self-seeking, only desiring to benefit themselves. There are that that Matthew Henry called “swallow friends” who fly to you in the good times and fly away in the bad times. The commentary of Matthew Henry also tells us “if the friendship be prudent, generous, and cordial, if I love my friend because he is wise, and virtuous, and good, as long as he continues so, though he fall into poverty and disgrace, still I shall love him.”

There was a time Proverbs 17:17 would confuse me. King Solomon in his proverbs would often contrast good and evil in a verse. So when I would read Proverbs 17:17 there were times I wondered was he trying to say a brother creates adversity or is a brother there to aid in times of adversity. Over time I realized the end of this proverb still refered to the friend and is more versed towards a friend being there for a friend in a time of need.

In most families a brother or sister will come to the aid of another sibling if one faces a time of distress. I have known brothers and sisters who have done really good deeds for each other. I know brothers and sisters who have watched over their younger siblings. I have even read where brothers or sisters have given another sibling a kidney so the other could survive. Family is often close and is there is a unique bond that holds them together to help one another. I will admit there are families with their issues, but under really difficult times even dysfunctional families will pull together for a common good.

Now considering the friend, a true friend who freely gives of themself when we are faced with times of adversity will be there as a brother or sister. They are willing to help just as a brother or sister would be willing to help. A true friend is as close as family - was born to be a friend and born for the time you face adversity and need help. They are there for you to provide comfort, support, kindness, compassion and love. Those are friends you want to hold onto to for they are as precious as family.

Remember we have another friend who is always there for us and that is Jesus. Jesus always loves us. Jesus always cares about us. Jesus always has compassion for us. The question we need to ask is “What kind of a friend are we to Jesus?”

My Redeemer Lives

Job 19:25 (NKJV)

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

Though Job is in misery and pain he makes a profound statement that he knows his Redeemer lives and He shall stand at last on the earth. Job believes in the Redeemer who is Jesus Christ and of His glory and interest in him. His Redeemer is eternal and yet will stand on this earth to preach His words of salvation that all men may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

Today I want to share the words from Nicole C. Mullen’s song My Redeemer lives. They are beautiful words that testify of Jesus Christ who lives to redeem us from sin. Enjoy the words of the song and reflect upon how Christ lives for you.

Who taught the sun

Where to stand in the morning

Who taught the ocean

You can only come this far

And who showed the moon

Where to hide till evening

Whose words alone can

Catch a falling star

Well I know

My redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

All of creation testifies

There's life within the Christ

I know my Redeemer lives

Yeah

The very same God

That spins things in orbit

Runs to the weary

The worn and the weak

And the same gentle hands

That hold me when I'm broken

They conquer death to bring me victory

Now I know

My Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

Let all creation testify

That there's life within the Christ

I know my Redeemer

He lives

To take away my shame

And He lives

Forever I'll proclaim

That the payment for my sins

Was the precious life He gave

Now He's alive and

There's an empty grave

And I know my Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

Let all creation testify

That there's life within the Christ

I know my Redeemer

I know my Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

He Lives.

You can watch a version of this on YouTube at http://youtu.be/tp4FIC8H-fE

He lives forever to intercede

Hebrews 7:25 (NLT)

25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

This chapter makes mention of the Levitical priesthood whose job was to serve in the Temple of God. The priests performed the sacrifices and made intercessions for the people. These men were not perfect, but were good men who performed ceremonial cleansings of their own sin before entering the temple. Eventually they died leaving their duties to someone else to perform. Through God’s plan of salvation Jesus Christ is the eternal living priest who continuously makes intercessions for our sin.

Max Lucado tells the story of being dropped by his insurance company because he had one too many speeding tickets and a minor fender bender that wasn't his fault. One day he received a letter in the mail, informing him to seek coverage elsewhere. As he reflected on how he wasn't good enough for his insurance company, the spiritual tie-in was too obvious. "Many people fear receiving such a letter [from God]," Lucado writes. "Some worry they already have."

Lucado then imagines this correspondence, straight from the Pearly Gates Underwriting Division:

Dear Mrs. Smith,

I'm writing in response to this morning's request for forgiveness. I'm sorry to inform you that you have reached your quota of sins. Our records show that, since employing our services, you have erred seven times in the area of greed, and your prayer life is substandard when compared to others of like age and circumstance. Further review reveals that your understanding of doctrine is in the lower 20 percentile and you have excessive tendencies to gossip. Because of your sins you are a high-risk candidate for heaven. You understand that grace has its limits. Jesus sends his regrets and kindest regards and hopes that you will find some other form of coverage.  [Quoted in Brady Boyd, Sons & Daughters (Zondervan, 2012), page 40]

Praise God we would never receive a letter like that! Max Lucado is right in saying there are people who fear they will receive such a letter or they already have. They have this fear because they are trusting in their own good works instead of trusting in Jesus Christ who intercedes on our behalf for each of our failures. He lives forever to intercede with God on our behalf and because of that we are made right with God.

Our relationship with Christ

Colossians 1:27-28 (NLT)

27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. 28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

Paul, as a Jewish Rabbi, has been made a minister to the Gentiles and therefore he preaches to the Gentiles about the Good News of Jesus Christ whose glory is to be shared by all, not just the Jewish people.  He desires they tell everyone about Christ, sharing the message of salvation and redemption that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Relationships are important to people. We often enjoy relationships with friends who have common interests. Relationships also allow us to open up to another and talk about things on our heart. When we know a person we know the extent to which we can be vulnerable and feel safe about expressing our thoughts and feelings. Good relationships are long lasting and even when separated for a period of time a good relationship will pull people back into a bond of friendship.

Healthy relationships have some of the following characteristics. There is support among one another, each encouraging the other for their well-being. There is active listening where each are heard when one is sharing something important and understanding is gained.

The most important relationship we can have is with Jesus Christ. In our relationship with Christ we find a friend who will listen to our hearts and never condemn us. For Christ suffered as a man and knows the heartaches we face. Jesus understands us, our temptations, our faults, our weaknesses, and our doubts.

Jesus is always willing to maintain a close relationship with us. It is often us who pull away because we quit believing in what Jesus has to offer. Jesus tells us He will help carry our burdens and so often we continue to carry them alone until we finally give up out of exhaustion. Jesus tells us that He is always with us, yet we forget to have the conversation with Him that is waiting on our heart.  Instead of always seeking to continuously learn from Jesus we often wait to last minute to cry out for help.

As long as you are alive, it is never too late to have a relationship with Christ or deepen your relationship with Christ. First you must acknowledge Christ as a friend, a savior and one who wants the best for you. As we walk with Christ in our relationship with him we learn to repent of our sin, so we first must have a willingness to repent. As we grow in our knowledge of Christ we want to put away those things that are bad for us and replace them with the good things Christ desires for us.

If you know Christ already, continue to develop your relationship with Him. If you don’t know Christ, invite Him into your heart. It is through Christ that we grow spiritually and come to know the goodness of God. It is through Christ we gain salvation and eternal life with God in heaven because of our relationship with Him.

God's gift, more valuable than gold or silver

1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

Here the apostle reminds Christians that they are redeemed. For God paid the ransom to save them from an empty life imposed on them by the sins Adam and Eve and all who followed. There were also reminded they were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, more valuable that gold or silver.It was God's gift to mankind.

On November 26, 2008, a gang of terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. After the carnage had left 200 people dead, a reporter interviewed a guest who had been at the hotel for dinner that night. The guest described how he and his friends were eating dinner when they heard gunshots. Someone grabbed him and pulled him under the table. The assassins came striding through the restaurant, shooting at will, until everyone (or so they thought) had been killed.

Miraculously, this man survived. When the interviewer asked the guest how he lived when everyone else at his table had been killed, he replied, “I suppose because I was covered in someone else’s blood, and they took me for dead.” [Ravi Zacharias, Has Christianity Failed You? (Zondervan, 2010), p. 42]

The blood of Christ covers our sins therefore we indeed dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are reminded in Romans 6:20-23,”When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.  And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.  But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.