Thank You For Being A Friend

I need friends in my life. I don’t just mean friends who make me laugh or smile, but friends who love me enough to share what God is doing in their lives and who are willing to share correction with me. I need friends who will help me grow to be more like Christ. I was reminded of this a couple weeks ago over a cup of coffee.
I asked my friend how I could be praying for her and what God had been teaching her that week. As she opened up and shared her heart with me, I was amazed.  Her zeal for God was contagious and I wanted more of that.  Her love for others broke through my heart of selfishness and the Holy Spirit began convicting me that I too need to selflessly love and care for others more.  I left that coffee shop freshly encouraged to love God more and to live each day in service to Him.
I think this is what the writer of Hebrews was referring to when He said, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”. (Heb 10:25)  We always use this verse to remind others that they ought ot be at church when we are having service( and we should, but we should not neglect the exhorting one another.  Be an encouragement.  Help your Christian brothers and sisters get thru another day.
As a part of the body of Christ, we are called to grow into His likeness, through His Spirit’s enabling, as well as build up and support each other in the body.  Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:16 “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” God has not called us to run this race alone, but He has graciously given us the Body to provide encouragement, support, care and even correction at times.
I am thankful for the friends that God has given me who continue to point me to Christ and encourage me to live each day for Him.  Let us learn from the writer of Hebrews and consider how we can motivate our friends towards love and good works, how we can point them to God, and how we can encourage them with the glorious hope found in the gospel of Christ.  Be the kind of friend that you need when you are down.  Love people.  You can take a stand against wrongs and errs without “kicking people while they’re down.”  Encourage your friends, for the glory of GOD.