"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. " 1 John 4:7(ESV)
Galatians 6:2(ESV) tells us, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This verse is especially meaningful considering the challenges of modern times. Some of the people we come face to face with everyday look fine on the outside, but inside they are dealing with deep sadness and emotional problems. Even friends that we have known for many years can feel incredibly burdened by the issues they are dealing with. They may laugh and joke around with us all the time, but inside they feel crushed by issues they’ve never shared. Even though they have lots of other friends, they may feel lonely, isolated, and that no one really understands them.
We all think we know our friends so well, but the truth is that Heavenly Father didn’t give any human being the ability to look at another person’s heart. Only God knows us through and through, and if we are walking closely with Him, He can work through us to bless those we care about. God doesn’t share the intimate details of their personal situation. He will give us insight that allows us to comfort and encourage others through His Word.
1Thessalonians 5:11(ESV) tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” This should be the aim of every believer. We should desire to encourage and lift one another up, but we must also be wise. We must understand that emotional problems and social issues are more complex than they were years ago. Although we don’t like to think of our friends hurting, we must understand that it isn’t our place to try to heal them. All healing comes from God, and our great privilege and honor is to be conduits of His healing.
As a conduit of God’s healing, it is very important that we do not allow personal opinions and interpretations to interfere. 2Timothy 3:16-17(ESV) affirms, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” As believers with a heart to leave a legacy of God’s love and truth, the most potent, healing, and rewarding action we can take is to speak what God speaks. It is to know His Word so that comforting verses and passages of scripture are imprinted on our minds and hearts.
Jesus Christ and the salvation God made available through His Son’s finished work is the theme of God’s Word, the Bible. It is the heart of God revealed. He tells us in Hebrews 4:12 that His Word is living and powerful, it is sharper than any two-edge sword and it exposes our deep thoughts and desires. We must appreciate this truth from the depths of our hearts. Nothing compares to God’s Word. His Word is the Spirit’s sword, and our responsibility is to believe it, trust it, and speak it.
Being thoroughly schooled in God’s Word will equip us to be the most helpful to those Heavenly Father inspires us to bless and encourage. We should never take matters in our own hands and try to move preemptively or get ahead of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:33 to seek the Kingdom of God first in all we do. We must be poised and prepared through His Word to administer God’s wisdom, encouragement, and comfort when He inspires us to do so.
Jesus Christ said in John 15:13(ESV), “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” He gave his life for all of us. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. We couldn’t accomplish for ourselves what he did for us. Through his selflessness, we understand that true friendship will require a commitment to put the needs of someone above our own. To be the best friend possible will require us to invest time in knowing God’s Word so that we can make a spiritual investment of His truth. This is the way to leave a legacy of His love in the lives of our friends as we continue to keep them in our prayers. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Appreciating Your Friends through the Love of Christ”, written by Fran Mack for Springfield Fellowship, Inc. ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
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