Thanksgiving on Thursday



In years gone by, when I carried a mountain of bitterness on my back from wrongs done against me in yesteryear by those who were meant to protect and guide me, I could never receive correction. Oh, I would outwardly seem like I was ok with it, but inwardly I was a puddle of confusion, self-pity, and tears, feeling rejected and alone. After God saved me from that mess, and delivered me from the horrible pit of selfishness, and set my feet upon the Rock, Jesus Christ, I now love to know that I have solid godly friends, members of the Body of my Jesus who are looking out for me and are not afraid to step up and tell me if I am 'off' or if something I am promoting does not seem right.

This happened to me a few months ago. I had taken a friend out for lunch and had brought her a gift, a devotional book that was blessing and inspiring me. I am pretty cautious of devotional books these days because there is a lot of mixed religious rubbish being sold and distributed, and I do not want to poison my own mind or the minds of anyone I am seeking to encourage/help. So I had selected this devotional carefully. As I handed her the gift, she raised a caution about the author, stating that she had heard a caution that this author's first book is a mish-mash of humanism, mysticism and Scripture. I felt badly that I might be promoting something that isn't as good as I thought it was, but my immediate thought was

"Thank God for warnings from other believers.

I am so thankful she had the courage to share this with me,

even if it was about a gift I was giving her."

 

So today, I give a shout of thanksgiving for friends who seek to honor the Lord and are courageous enough to be a true friend. Not just a sympathizer. Not just a critique. But both.

I want to be such a friend, too.

The following article came to my attention just as I was preparing to write this thanksgiving post. I thought I would include it with my post. It was a blessing to me and I hope it blesses you as well.

WE NEED GODLY FRIENDS IN OUR LIVES -

 

Psalm 119:63 ' I am a companion of all them that fear Thee , and of them that keep Thy precepts.'

 

True friends will be godly...

friends who reverence, love and obey Jesus !

  1.Because we tend to become like our friends, we must choose them carefully.

  2.Because our friends influence us in ways that are both subtle and powerful,

 we must make sure our friendships please the Lord.

 3.When we spend our days in the presence of godly friends,

we are blessed,not only by those friends, but also by the Lord.

  4.Seek out friends who will encourage you in the Lord and

you should yourself be a friend who encourages others.

  5.Bad company will corrupt good character.

Seek to be salt and light to others but be careful not to

sit in the seat of the scornful and those who mock God .

 

 

 6.Have friends who will love you enough to correct you .Temptation is everywhere.

 Find God-fearing friends who will help you avoid people,

places and things that can harm and damage your walk with God.

  7.If you want a friendship that will last make sure you will be a faithful trustworthy friend.

That's the way to develop strong friendships.

  8.Choose friends who spend time with God !

When it comes to spending time with God, are you a 'squeezer' or 'pleaser'?

 Do you just try to squeeze God into your busy life or do you please Him by

making Him 1st in your life ?

 

 CHOOSE YOU FRIENDS CAREFULLY AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED BY YOUR WISE DECISION TO FELLOWSHIP WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE,

THAT IS PEOPLE WHO REVERENCE JESUS !

 

David Cooke
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