Page 10 - March15-Catalyst

THE POWER
OF FRIENDSHIP
By Gladys Grimaud | Continued from pg 9
in friendship. What makes a friendship so spe- cial that one would drive 150 miles in pouring down rain to seek out a friend who meant so much? Church statisticians tell us that 79% of the people who come to Christ come through a friend or relative. That being so, what are the friendship traits that bring others to Christ?
This Twitter Generation should be happy to know that Jesus was using the Twitter idea long before the 21st century when He said there are two great commandments that encapsulate the big ten.
Thefirstone: “LovetheLordyourGodwith all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength”, and the second, “Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment isgreaterthanthese.” Mark12:30-31.
If I love God the way Jesus said I should, I will not break God’s heart by allowing anything to come into my life that would be displeasing to Him. I will not seek out the real meaning of love in a movie or allow a movie idol (nor anyone else for that matter: i.e. politician, entrepreneur, or professional idol) to shape my inner thought life. Before sin is committed, it formulates in the mind as a thought first. Why should I seek out false idols when God has promised that if I seek the Kingdom of God and his righteous- ness first, all the other needful “things” will be given to me? Forget looking to Hollywood for the meaning of love. They are only interested in fame and money and are severely deficit in understanding love.
As far as loving others as myself goes, therein lies the trouble for some. People who have not forgiven themselves-even after God has for- given- do not have the capacity to love because theyreallyhatethemselves. Whenforgiveness
10 CityLight.org
comes to the sinful heart, the peace of God in- vades the human heart and precedes peace with others. Wearesomadeupthatwecannottruly love ourselves until we are at peace with God. So, if you want a good night’s sleep tonight, ask God to forgive you for your sins, just as JoAnn did, and start loving yourself so that you can love others.
On another occasion, Jesus said “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13. Do you see the secret in- gredient for friendship within this verse? Do I have to physically die to express this kind of love? Certainly, the members of our military sign up for that assignment willingly, and ac- cording to Jesus, there is no greater love. But what about me? How can I lay down my life for others?
One of the ways I can lay down my life for others is simply to think that other people are important. Do this and your own attitude gets across to others, even when you are not trying. You cannot make others feel important in your presence if you secretly feel that he is a nobody. Isn’t that the meaning behind, “Black lives matter”? How about this one: “Unborn lives matter.” How often do you hear that one ex- pressed? To God and the godly, all lives matter, born and unborn.
Here’s another way to lay down my life. Just notice people. Have you ever thought about the fact that you “notice” only those things that are important to you? You never see 1/100th part of what is around you – you “select” for attention only those things that are important. When someone “notices” us, he pays us a big compli- ment. He is saying that he recognizes our im- portance. He gives a big boost to our morale. We become friendlier, more co-operative, and actually work harder. The most common com- plaint among husbands and wives:
NOT BEING NOTICED!
March 2015