05/03/2019
*📖📖OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*
*DATE: TUESDAY 5TH MARCH 2019*
*THEME: A FRIEND INDEED?*
*MEMORISE:*
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverb 18:24
READ: Luke 11:5-8
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
MESSAGE
Friendship is so important, powerful and beneficial to human life. Unfortunately, it is commonly said that true friends are very scarce.
The reality of this statement is a fact we live with everyday. However, my question today is, what can we do to change this situation? It is not enough for you to add your voice to those lamenting that there are no true friends; you should do something about it.
The answer is not far-fetched: it lies in each of us deciding to be a true friend to those we choose as our friends! Ask yourself, how true and genuine are yoy to those who consider you their friend?
It’s amazing when we consider that Jesus Christ describes us as His friends. He said to us in John 15:13-14:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
In today’s Bible reading, he also reveals to us the cost of being a true friend. A friend goes the extra mile to make his friends happy because he shares in their happiness.
As followers of Jesus Christ, through the world may practice supernatural form of friendship characterized by denial, betrayal and backstabbing, we must be different. As the light of the world, we must teach the world what true friendship means.
It is true that friendship attracts a high premium and can be demanding.
This is why you must choose the number of friends you can effectively and faithfully manage. Many people mistake mere acquaintance for friendship, this is wrong. An acquaintance cannot pay the price that friendship demands. This is why many people feel disappointed when their expectation from a casual associate at work or brother in church is not met.
When the Bible says there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), it reveals another misconception that must be corrected in the Body of Christ. The fact that someone is a Christian brother does not mean he is a friend! Although a brother or sister in Christ should not be taken as an enemy, nevertheless, do not expect much from such a fellow. Beloved, the good news for you today is that Jesus can be that perfect friend you desire.
How true are the words of this hymn written by Joseph Scriven: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grieve to bear; what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Make Him your friend today, and He will never disappoint you.
ACTION POINT:
Reach out to Jesus and make Him your friend by doing His will always.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Acts 25-26
Isaiah 54
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 9: IN CHRIST ALONE
1. In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
2. In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.
3. There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
4. No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
