Point of View:
So I’m sure that we all have friends that are unsaved or not focused on God right now, right?. I mean, we try to be good examples to them and not judge them for what there doing, But often, I think we end up adapting to there lifestyles instead of encouraging them to change for the better. We try to minister to them by hanging out with them, but sometimes, this winds up doing more harm then good. This is very common, and if you choose not to do anything about it, it could end up being a huge stumbling block in your life. So, over the next two devotionals I want to dig into this topic of friendship by looking at two points; 1) When to End a friendship, and 2) When to Mend a friendship. I chose these topics because I believe a lot of us struggle with knowing when we should end a “negative friendship”, and knowing when we should re-enter back into a previous friendship. I think that a lot of times we just get tired of giving our friends that tough love that they need, and because of our laziness, we choose to end a friendship. That’s not right. But there is a proper time to end a friendship though. When is it? Well, if our friends are making us feel like we have to sin to fit in, or constantly causing us to stumble, it may be time to distance yourself from them for a little while. So if you or anybody you know could benefit from this study, check out this Tuesdays devotional for a in depth look at tough love.
The Challenge:
I want to challenge you to be friends with the people around you, but don’t fall into sin beside them! If you can honestly look at a friend and say that you don’t struggle with what they are currently struggling with, stand strong and be a good example to them. Pray for them on a regular basis and speak truth in their lives! If you do struggle with the same thing, pray for them as you probably understand exactly what they are going through.
Prayer Points:
• Thank God for graciously giving us the friends we do have.
• Ask for strength as sometimes it is hard to distance ourselves from our friends, but it may be what we have to do to grow closer to God.
• Pray specifically for your friends. Remember that sometimes the ones who are hardest to love, need love the most.
The Word:
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
- Revelation 3:15-16
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
- Mathew 18: 6-9
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