Current Series: Yolo…life is short, don’t waste it. Title: Week 1 – “True-Faced BFF” Main Thought: Friends determine the direction of your life, so choose wisely. Scripture: Proverbs 13:20, 17:17, 18:24, 12:26, 27:6
Thoughts on Psalm 1
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1 (NLT)
Psalm 1 tells a story of two different people. Who are these people? They are the righteous and the wicked. This passage gives word pictures to show the differences of the righteous and wicked. Psalm 1 helps you understand the depravity of man and the need for salvation. The blessed man is one who follows after God, the ungodly one is one who follows after the world. This passage clearly defines the one walking with God and the one going to destruction.
Let us look at the ways to have God’s blessing:
- Walk with wise men. The walk describes how a person carries out their entire life, what they do, and where they go. As followers of Christ, we need to surround ourselves with wise friends in order to make an impact on the lost.
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. Psalm 14:1
- Saturate your mind with God's Word. The Word of God must encompass your goals. Ask these questions to discover if you are making decisions through the lens of scripture:
Who do I aspire to be in my life? Are my thoughts filled with God's Word? Does my attitude reflect the joy of God?
True Friendship
I don't know about you, but having true friends can be hard to find. We have all kinds of relationships but at different levels. Sure, we all have people that are our "Facebook friends" or "twitter followers" but I'm talking about friends that are committed to doing life together. I've been blessed to have friends in my life that have impacted me. God created us for relationship! "Friends will determine the direction and quality of our lives (7 Checkpoints)."
"Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20
In today's culture, it seems to me that people are becoming more isolated than ever before. We have more technology than ever before in history but it has become a mask for the real need of face-to-face relationships. What is a true friend? Is it much more than an "acquaintance?" or "facebook friend?"
Ed Young Jr. used an illustration of a swimming pool where many times the shallow end is what makes up a majority of our relationships. We can go through life wearing "relational floaties" and never reach the deep end of friendships.
What does it mean to be a friend? – a trustworthy person you mutually choose to love and to encourage in order to bring God glory. We need Christian friends to survive in a world of isolation. We were not meant to live the Christian life alone! For those of you who have been true friends to me, you know who you are!
How do we understand which friend types to avoid?
- “Take what I can get” friend - Focused upon taking what they can for themselves at any cost.
- “Be happy I’m your friend” - Insecurity leads to conforming to be accepted by the "popular" people.
- “Friends with Benefits” – the more money and toys you have, the more people want to be your friend!
- “OCD: Must-know-everything-psycho” - busy-body who loves to gossip, if they gossip, they are doing the same to you when you aren’t around.
- A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much. Proverbs 20:19
- “Must-Do-Everything-Together” - Selfish person who controls you to be together at any cost in such a way that you lose your own personal identity.
If you pick the wrong friends, you will pay for it. “If you sleep with dogs, you are going to get fleas.” Southern Proverb. Paul told the Corinthians, “bad company corrupts good character” 1 Corinthians 15:33.
What does your friendships look like? Are you a friend that pushes people closer to Jesus?
- When a need arises, can you be depended upon to follow through? A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" Proverbs 18:24.
- Friends will stick with you especially when you fail.
- Friends will lift you out of times of crisis.
- A friend will encourage you to live for Jesus. "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17
In order to grow in our faith, we must learn how to build Christ-like relationships.
What steps can we take to move our friendship from shallow to real, creating a place of trust and accountability?
Jesus set the example of the ultimate friend, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13