Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

Over the past year, the Lord has taught me so much about the fulfillment and spiritual strength that Godly relationships can supply. Through His perfectly loving plan, He has intentionally brought many amazing people into my life that have shown me how the bond between believers is one which surpasses all differences. I am so unbelievably grateful for these people…people who plan Bible studies at 7 am in the school cafeteria…people who are always there with a helping hand, no matter the need…people who say, “guys let’s pray for Emma’s headache to go away”…people who encourage me to stay true to my faith in Christ…people who are willing to invest their time in the things of God…people who stand in an empty rental and pray for God to show us His will.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.” Without adding to God’s word, I think we can naturally say, “Good company cultivates good morals.” If we want to become more like Christ, we need to surround ourselves with people who are also seeking Him. Sometimes we slide into what I would call “Christianized victimhood.” We complain that we are desperately alone in our walk and insinuate that the life of a believer means having no chance for companionship. But meanwhile, we are shutting our eyes to our fellow pilgrims who are making their own way down the straight and narrow path.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” Children of God are called to be holy and set apart to Christ. Yet Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-15, “‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.’” How can we be commanded to have no bond with unbelievers yet given a Great Commission to seek the lost? This is a paradox of the Godly lifestyle, and one which I sometimes struggle to truly understand. The people with whom we spend the most time, the people we allow to impact our faith journey, the people who support us and guide us and exemplify the way we want to live our lives—shouldn’t these people be followers of Christ? And yet, we must not shut out the fallen world; we must enter these relationships with reliance on the Holy Spirit and a desire to point lost souls to the Lord.

Of all the people you know, who do you connect with the most, and why? Sometimes, I think we are attracted towards friendships in which we have relatively meaningless things in common. We build a relationship because we like the same sports, we play the same instrument, we eat the same foods, we watch the same movies, we have the same career or major, we might even have similar personalities. And yet we will quickly say of another Christian, “we really don’t have that much in common,” just because we don’t share these worldly, transient qualities. As children of the King of heaven, believers share more than anyone else in the world. We are washed in the same blood that was spilled on the same tree—that bond cannot be removed.

If we want the blessings of good friendships, we need to accept the responsibilities as well. One of the most important characteristics of a Godly friend is a willingness to be a faithful source of accountability. While it’s one of the hardest actions we can ever take, helping our brothers and sisters in Christ see the sin in their lives is a requirement of self-sacrificial love. Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” Sometimes we forget that sugar-coating spiritual backsliding is a form of selfishness—we value our relationship with our friend more than we value their relationship with the Lord. So we cover our eyes and shut our mouths and let them live unworthily of their calling.

There are many in the Bible who could provide a good example of what Biblical friendship looks like. We could look at David and Jonathan, Paul and Timothy, Naomi and Ruth, and the list goes on…But why not look at the most perfect example? “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:13-15). We have no friend more faithful than Jesus. No relationship in our lives should ever come close to overshadowing our relationship with the Savior who has lifted us from our sin and made us a child of God. Whatever is lacking in your earthly relationships, He is more than able to supply.

Oh what grace that You would see me

As Your child and as Your friend

Safe, secure in You forever

I pour out my praise again.

You deserve the greater glory

Overcome, I lift my voice

To the King in need of nothing

Empty-handed I rejoice.

CityAlight