Friend or Friendly?

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Proverbs17:17NLT

I can look back to a time when I didn’t want, or need any friends around me. I had brothers in Christ that I counted as friendly and would have responded or helped if I had asked them. But I didn’t need them. Then my wife died and everything changed.

It’s easy to gather friends and followers if you are on any of the social media sites. Some in the younger generation put great store on their friend count because it is important to have someone you can call a friend, and the more the merrier it seems. Sadly these bonds are shallow and do not reflect real or true friendships. But how do you test if someone is a true friend because there will come a time when you need to know as I did.

The tests are obvious, but are only confirmed and found in times of stress, trouble, or need. In my case being left alone, but I had an advantage because around me was a body of believers, some of whom had been where I stood now. In fact, the bigger truth is that the family of God is greater than your local church, and that is what I found. I confess to being surprised at the open willingness to help and support in any way possible, and I should not have been surprised at all. All those sermons about brotherly love, and the love of Jesus were good to hear and welcome at head level, but now the heart was involved.

Real friends are always loyal, and come what may, will be there when you need them. The truth is they were always there in the shadows just like the Saviour, I just didn’t know it then, but I know it now and I am thankful for my friends. To my real friends, true friends, loyal friends who stepped up in my time of need, I say simply Thank You!

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1John4:7NIV

Body, Heart and Mind

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 NLT

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. Psalm 16:9

The Bible has a way of pulling things together as you read and meditate, and these inspired verses are doing what only Scripture can do! It is no secret that we are a mixture of body, heart and mind, and different things will affect one part of us directly, but the other parts are also hurt by association. We are reminded by Paul that all parts of our body work together in this passage: Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:20,21 NLT So why do we get taken by surprise at times? I know I do.

It should come as no shock that when my mind is out of whack, my body and heart feel the consequences. If we have a bad dream, or a nightmare, our heart races and we sweat. When we wake up in the morning, we might not remember the dream in detail, but we will still be suffering the consequences in our body, of what was imagined in the brain. To state the obvious, it didn’t really happen! Try telling the result of fear in your body that! There is no cure for the body feeling what goes on in our imagination, but there is good news available for the believer.

We have the assurance that ​His peace will guard your hearts and minds! When satan comes with the bad dreams of our former life. He has no control over our body when he attacks our minds, as you live in Christ Jesus. Don’t you love the way the Psalmist puts it: No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.

So, there you have it. The believer’s mind, heart and body are under the control of our Saviour, or put another way, under the blood of the cross! How good is that? Sleep easy my believing friends!