Tag Archives: friends

3 Things That Will Last Forever

Church Bulletin, Encouragement, Family Issues, , ,

The Appian Way is an ancient road built by the Roman Empire 312 years before Christ. Today, portions of it remain, and you can walk along the ancient cobbled stones. I wonder if the Roman slave realized how long his work would last. The Mona Lisa may be the most recognizable painting ever created. Da Vinci may have spent 12 years working on it. Today, it’s over 500 years old. Did he know it would be his crowning achievement? Some things just last. But here are 3 things that will last forever.

Some things just last.

Family Lasts

The first family was created because God saw that “it was not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). He fashioned a woman from the man, and she became his helper. The two produced three children and thus formed the first family. Despite the Cain/Abel tragedy, I suspect Adam and Eve still loved their children until their final days.

Paul reminds Timothy of the legacy of faith that flowed from his grandmother and his mother, and Paul remembers his own ancestor’s faith (2 Timothy 1:3- 6). Family always passes down more than just DNA.

Friends Last

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” writes Solomon in Proverbs 17:17. Social media causes us to confuse friends and contacts. A thousand Facebook friends is largely meaningless. But one close friend in real life is priceless.

A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

(Proverbs 18:24)

Cultivate a few close friends. Invest your time into their lives and allow them to do the same with you. Serve them sincerely, and they will surely return the blessing. At the day of death, we never regret a close friend.

Faith Lasts

More than anything else, a strong faith lasts. A strong faith in Christ will follow you through the darkest days. It will accompany you to the grave and then beyond. The Psalmist wrote these familiar words: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). In David’s longest night of suffering, his faith bolstered his confidence. He faced death, as we all will, with a solid faith in his redeemer.

When the last pitch is thrown, when the final tackle is made, and the closing song is silenced, we are left with faith that endures beyond the grave. Ask God to build your faith. Open your eyes for the evidence of his work in your life. You will be buoyed above the greatest waves of this life.

Family, friends, and faith. One with all three is blessed indeed!

True Friends

Daily living, Web sites

the_friends_stage_croppedTrue friends are exceptionally rare. Whereas family members come to us by birth, friends are choices. The typical person may have thousands of associates; they may have hundreds of friends, but they probably only have one or two people that are truly close friends. Social media sites, like Facebook, may suggest that we have thousands of friends. In reality, most of the people on our Facebook friends list are only associates. Even Jesus had his inner circle of disciples, Peter, James, and John, were his closest friends. I would suggest that close friends are critical to a successful, productive Christian life.

In Find a Friend to Wound You, Greg Morse suggests that a great friend will hurt you when necessary. He suggests, and I agree, that someone who only pats you on the back and never criticizes you is not the best kind of friend to have; such a friend can be dangerous. But someone who will tell you what you need to hear is worth everything in this life. I think you will enjoy reading his article.

 

 

Bryant Evans may be reached at bryant at bryantevans.com. You can follow Bryant on Twitter @J_Bryant_Evans.

Dogs, Fleas and Friends

Culture, Daily living, Family Issues, Proverbs, Youth, ,

The saying, “If you lay down with dogs you’ll get up with fleas” is not in the Bible. But the idea is definitely Biblical. Those we associate with can help us or harm us. Consider Paul’s words:

“Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”

(1 Corinthians 15:33)

The wisest ever, Solomon wrote:

If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

let us ambush the innocent without reason;

like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

my son, do not walk in the way with them;

hold back your foot from their paths,

for their feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

For in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

  but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

they set an ambush for their own lives.

Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

it takes away the life of its possessors.

(Proverbs 1:11-19)

And,

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

(Proverbs 13:20)

We are warned that our associates, our friends, make real and lasting impacts in our lives. Sadly, the more wayward the friend the worse the impact. One would hope that the one with higher values would uplift the unrighteous but it is not so. Preachers decry the dangerous union of believer and non-believer in marriages because the faithlessness of the unbeliever is so powerful. While there are certainly exceptions, the overwhelming majority of such unions end in spiritual catastrophe.

When Lot was separated from faithful Abram he moved among the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah. His decision to move “his tent as far as Sodom” proved horrendous and cost him his family (Genesis 13:12-13 ff).

But such damage is not limited to marriage or even to intimate relationships. Our youth should learn the danger of close associations with the unrighteous. Parents must provide direction for their children and must be prepared to prohibit some friendships. Every parent must monitor their children’s Facebook pages and any other social media which they use. Parents must, on occasion, be intrusive into the lives of their children.

A Christian can and should have relationships with unbelievers. Life will undoubtedly require some interaction with the wicked. But it is wise to say that a Christian’s closest, dearest friends ought to be other Christians.

Bryant Evans may be reached at bryant at bryantevans.com. You can follow Bryant on Twitter @jbevans

 

 

 

 

 

Roger Johnson, Columbus, GA

Bible Lectureships,

Any number of people contribute to our lives. Some in great ways and some in smaller, less noticeable

Roger Johnson, minister at the Edgewood church of Christ
Roger Johnson, minister at the Edgewood church of Christ

ways. Roger Johnson played a pivotal role in my life when, in 2000, he strongly suggested that I reconsider my decision to preach only intermittently.

Roger, who now preaches for the Edgewood church of Christ in Columbus, Georgia, was then my preacher at the Northport church of Christ in Northport, Alabama. Previously have preached in Memphis, Tennessee, Roger encouraged me to apply for his old position which had recently opened. While that did not work out, it did propel me into the search for full time work. My next attempt, a few weeks later, was at Eastern Shore and as the old saying goes, the rest is history.

Bobbi and I were perfectly comfortable in Northport. We loved the church and were very involved. I was a career Registered Nurse and had settled into the expectation that I would retire from nursing one day. I had graduated in 1987 with a degree in Bible but found the reception unwelcoming as I searched for preaching work. I returned to school and earned a degree in nursing. Life was good.

Sometimes however, we all need a gentle nudge. Many others helped me become a preacher too and in future times I will write about them. But for now, I am thankful to Roger for that push. So the next time you see him you can either thank him or slap him as you see fit.