••●So many teens today are pushed to do things they'd not always do. "By whom?" You might ask. Well of course, its your friends. A friend, i believe, is the #1 most influential person in your life. Lots of times a friend can be very helpful and encouraging and be very fun to have around, but of course, like anything else, there are disadvantages. In this blog i'll be talking about friends in the secular world and friends in the Body of Christ, i'll be comparing the huge difference between the two and also the similarities. ♥
Friends in the Secular World
Wikipedia describes a friend like this....
"A friend is a person on whom you can confidently rely on to help pull you through the hard times, and hold you accountable for your actions. A friend is loyal, and a brother is born in a time of need. A friend will not judge you for who you are, but they will help you to grow in life."
Dictionary.com describes a friend like this....
"a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter, a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile, A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts, A person whom one knows; an acquaintance, A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade, One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement, etc."
Friends in the Secular World
Wikipedia describes a friend like this....
"A friend is a person on whom you can confidently rely on to help pull you through the hard times, and hold you accountable for your actions. A friend is loyal, and a brother is born in a time of need. A friend will not judge you for who you are, but they will help you to grow in life."
Dictionary.com describes a friend like this....
"a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter, a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile, A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts, A person whom one knows; an acquaintance, A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade, One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement, etc."
Friends in the Body of Christ
All of these descriptions of a friend are very true yet most of the time today, cease to be played out in reality. See how the Bible talks about a friend...
John 15:9-17
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
As you can see, there is no one word to describe a friend because a friend you cannot describe, a friend cannot be made, a friend cannot be measured- because *a friend is a precious gift from God.* That of which is from God is unfathomable.~
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John 15:9-17
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
As you can see, there is no one word to describe a friend because a friend you cannot describe, a friend cannot be made, a friend cannot be measured- because *a friend is a precious gift from God.* That of which is from God is unfathomable.~
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(Friends in the Secular World...continued)
Ok, so a friend is indescribable.... but i can say that there are many things that a friend is not.~
If you ever want to know what its like to have a fake friend, just ask me. Having friends, believing they are really your friends, and then eventually finding out they were just using you, is the most painful experience. But there's a bright side- its one of the most encouraging and uplifting experiences and it will make you such a strong person in the end.
In public schools, you'll usually gain friends of the basis of similar interests/personalities. Because in the school, you are practically pushed to be close to at least someone, there's really no opportunity for an emotional connection. In school, you go through the grades and move on, probably forgetting all the friends you ever had, once ten years pass. You and your friends right now may be very close... when you're having fun and getting along... but when something unwanted comes into your relationship (such as persecution, name-calling, a death, etc.) it is very easy for your friends to back away, because they're scared of being "soft" and comforting you. They don't know how much a hug means to you when you're crying or left alone. They don't know how much a phone call or flowers mean when you're home sick. They don't know the INCREDIBLE damage jealousy can do to your friendship.
(Friends in the Body of Christ... continued)
As in John 15, love is the most important thing in your frienship. 1 Corinthians so beautifuly states... "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." And as with my past experiences, trust is the key to having a healthy relationship that will last. Therefore, I believe (based upon God's Word and real life experiences) love and trust come hand in hand and are both a MUST in any relationship/friendship.
Friends :) .........
Don't be fooled by what your "friends" say and do to make you *think* they're your real friends. The test is time. The solution is love. The outcome is happiness.
A Little About Me
It was only after i started to homeschool that i realized my "friends" at school were really only people i knew and enjoyed being with. I know that in a life/death situation, most of them would very hesitant to take my place if i was to die. I then knew who my real friends were, and i knew that they loved me unconditionally.... they loved me as their sister in Christ, and loved me because we shared the most important thing... a place in heaven with Jesus Christ.
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I think the bible calls our fellow christians, "brothers and sisters" instead of "friends in the Lord" because family loves at all costs, no matter who you are, or what you're goin through or what you've done to them, a brother and a sister are way closer than just a friend. Our brothers and sisters in Christ will love us at any cost! A friend can be turned off if you say something that offends them and you might not ever communicate ever again, but family is the most forgiving unit out there. A true friend IS like a brother.
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Please do not think i'm against having friends that aren't willing to die for you at any given moment. And don't think i'm against being friends with someone who doesn't value you as the great person you are. Just know that it is God's will that you remain kind and loving to everyone, especially your enemies. With this blog, i am just helping you become more aware of the lie our "friends" may be telling us.... the lie that says its ok to use someone for your pleasure alone.
Hebrews 3:12-14 says...
"12 Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God:
13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin:
14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end..."
13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin:
14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end..."
Let me leave you with this.......
My best friend, Hannah (7 yrs old) gave me a card that said this.....
To: a best frend
To: Cortne
wen you hav a frend you wil wont to keep it.
From: Hannah
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With this card, she touched me in ways i can't even describe. It truly meant something because i KNEW she meant it! I love her with all of my being and i WOULD die for her at any moment. It's truly a blessing to have a friend like her, and most importantly have her as my sister in Christ. I am truly thankful for the godly friends i do have, they are such an encouragement to me in my walk with the Lord♥
In Christ Alone,
Courtney★
