“Friendships Tested.”
Somewhere in my files is a class outline called, “Friendship.” I handed out the outline to the Morningside brethren at home group on a Wednesday night a good few years ago. It was the single best class that I’d taught up to that day. Being convinced that the magic was in the outline, I took it on the road when I visited congregations in the USA. It bombed! No matter what, I couldn’t get it to spark. It didn’t take me long to figure out what was wrong. The problem lay in the depths of our relationships. Back home at Morningside, I was talking to old friends. Being new to my USA brethren meant that they were still getting to know me. I was speaking the language of ‘old friends’ to ‘new friends.’ Everything was missed in translation. Someone wisely said, “You can’t make old friends.”Most of my nearest and dearest are either in the church or related to me.I have noticed that the longer the friendships have endured the more disagreement has surfaced. Sometimes weakening the relationships. Christian beliefs, politics, and differing opinions on the character and influence of certain individuals, have brought strong feelings to the surface. But you didn’t get to ‘old friend’ status by staying static. You find your new place and move on. Your friends aren’t necessarily going to like everything about you—why should they?There is nothing like an old friend to keep you grounded. They have your best interest at heart so they will feel free to give you (sometimes unwelcome) advice. I have a friend who says that his greatest fear is abandonment. He needn’t concern himself. He is the finest friend his friends have. He is truly a friend who loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17).You know your friends by their proximity:“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).John StaigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends. (310)
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