Friends Can Make You or Break You Part III

Applying it to your life

James 1:23-25 “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

Simply reading this post and laying it aside is not going to benefit you; simply reading the Bible and then laying it aside is not going to benefit you. You need to apply it to your life. Here are some questions designed to give you insight into your own life and friendships. Be honest with yourself. Write your answers down and think about them for a few minutes.

• Do you have any friends like Jonathan?
• Can you name a friend who you can talk to about your relationship with God?
• When you are discouraged or upset who do you talk to?
• Do they point you to God?
• Would people view you as a friend like Jonathan?
• Can your friends count on you for encouragement?
• When a friend comes to you with a problem do you point them to God?
• Do you have any friends like Jonadab?
• Do you have friends that encourage sin, bad attitudes, or rebellion?
• When you are around certain friends does your attitude change for the worse?
• If you could see through God’s eyes would you be pleased with the way you act around your friends?
• Would anyone consider you a Jonadab?
• Do you criticize those whose moral standards are higher than your own?

Proverbs 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

I encourage you to find a Jonathan, a friend that will draw you closer to God. I also encourage to find someone you can be a Jonathon to. I also encourage you to re-consider any friendships you have with any Jonadabs. We have to live in the world and many of our friends and relatives are of the world, but we have to be careful not to become influenced by the world. It is something we have to constantly be aware of because if we are not on guard then the next thing you know we are succumbing to peer pressure. Oh, and regardless what you think, peer pressure is not just an adolescent thing. Peer pressure affects all age groups and transcends all social classes. It sounds harsh, but just look back at Proverbs 13:20 "...but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."

Friends Can Make You or Break You Part II

II Samuel 13:1-20 "And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her." 

At this point in the story we see that Amnon had a problem, a sin problem. We see Amnon do what most of us do when we have something bothering us, he went to talk to his friend. Here is where things get out of hand.

"But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat. So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes. And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him. And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone."

Friends Can Make You or Break You Part I

In this three part series I want to take the time to talk about friendships. Over the course of our lifetime we make many friends...well at least most of us do. Many of these friendships mold and shape our own personalities and standards. We can't overlook the powerful influence our friends have on us and we have on our friends. In this study we are going to look at two accounts of friendship in the Bible one a good friendship and one a not so good one. So let's look at the first one.

Jonathan and David

I Samuel 18:1-4 “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.”

Here we see Jonathan giving David his garments, now this may not make much sense to you but keep in mind that Jonathan was King Saul’s son and the next heir to the throne. David, however, was chosen by God to be the next king. By giving David his robe, bow, and girdle Jonathan was signifying that he was giving his right to the throne to David. Jonathan acknowledged that God had chosen David and he did not want to stand in the way. If God had chosen David he was willing to step down and let David take the throne.

From this passage we see a deep sense of loyalty that Jonathan had to David and to God. 

Why Don't We Invite People to Church?

I ran across this video on Godtube.com and wanted to share it. It's a short simple video that I think communicates simple truth.



So what am I afraid will happen if I share the Gospel? Why do I so often ignore the command given to me? Why do I fail to be Jesus' hands and feet? Jesus has entrusted me with the responsibility of continuing the work He started. Why don't I do my part more than once a year? Let's stop letting the enemy keep us silent.