F- Focus on what you have in common. Being on a team can help greatly here.
R- Remember to keep in touch and Return calls promptly.
I- Include the flair factor- This means that occasionally you include surprises, or you do things with an extra touch of class, or you give a thoughtful gift. "Everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts" Prov.19:6.
E- Encourage your friend and Enrich him with what you’ve been learning. Also Empathize. Be a caring friend, especially coming to the aid of an overwhelmed, "Broken Arrow" brother. Be devoted to your wing-men and your fire team.
N- Never abandon your friend and Never speak ill of your friend to others.
Do enjoyable things together and Divulge yourself. Let people know who you are- your ups and downs. We are on the same team and pulling for each other.
Strive to listen intently. We may not always understand, but we always will strive to be understanding. Strive to listen intently.
Thanks for sharing this one liner with me late last night George D. It gave me a good laugh- "My wife is weird, she always starts conversations with, "Are you even listening to me!"
Now let's discover the remaining keys to gaining and sustaining a good FRIENDSHIP-
H- Help him out. You already know this and practiced this numerous times. You've helped a friend move or you've helped him with a house repair project. Maybe your family has babysat your friend's kids. But here's a tough one. Have you ever had to help out a friend by telling him the truth in love? "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted" Prov.27:5-6a. So don't hide your love. Speak the truth in love. Jesus declared, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him" Luke 17:3. On a smaller scale, if a brother in M3 doesn't return your requested call back by the following nightfall, please have the courage to ask about it. "Hey, did you get my call?" If the man did and "just forgot" he should offer to buy you a doughnut or a soft drink. That's the way to Right a wrong, even when it wasn't intentional. Helpful advice for Husbands: If your helpmate has the courage to point out a fault in you, swallow hard and thank her, then work on correcting it. Wives are God's anointed sandpaper to smooth off the rough edges in our lives. The following apocryphal joke makes that point.
A man dreamed that he died and went to heaven (sort of). For his rough edges (those he refused to work on, even after friends pointed them out), he was chained to a very, very ugly woman:( He mourned his fate and vowed to humbly reform his stubborn ways. Then to make matters worse, he saw a buddy chained to a very, very beautiful woman. Ugh! He cried out to saint Peter, "That's not fair, my homely friend had more rough edges than I. He doesn't deserve to be rewarded like that!" But Saint Pete replied, "Oh no, he is not being rewarded, she is being punished!"
I- Intercede for your friend. Job even interceded for his three friends who spoke against him. Jesus called his disciples friends (John 15:13-15), and then interceded for them (John 17:9-26). The apostles wrote to the believers, calling them "dear friends" and interceded much for them. How can we strengthen ourselves and other brothers? "Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit" Jude 1:20. Friends pray for friends. Pray for your friend and others to be power HOUSE men of God- Hungry, Obedient, Unstoppable, Strong in the Lord and Encouraging. I pray that for you daily. And I pray that the Lord will give you such power HOUSE men to enlist- that you would have a great family tree and be a G.R.E.A.T. MANLY warrior. Attack! Pray such Attack prayers to advance the kingdom of God against the gates of hell.
P- Pardon his faults. Friends aren't perfect. They will let us down. "The best of men are men at best." "What a man desires is unfailing love" Prov.19:22. But he who casts off a friend when that friend fails him, will be a lone stranger. One of my best friends from my Humboldt Park ministry days, hurt me in a very deep and prolonged way. Thankfully, God's grace was (and always is) sufficient to pardon him. As a matter of fact, I even had him be the best man in my wedding. Yes, I'm a collector of friends, and he has so many good qualities. It would be a shame not to restore such a damaged relationship as others restore damaged cars.
Have a vision of what your life and your friendships can be. Collect friends and make them classic. I promise you, it will be the very best hobby you will ever have in your life. So be on the lookout for making new friends. I believe the best one's you will have from here forward will be the men you meet and invite into M3. (If you've got a better idea for making better friends, let me know.) Here, we will fight and grow together as a band of brothers. Speaking of brothers, theologians have sometimes referred to Jesus us as our elder brother. This reminds me of another verse in our book of Proverbs- "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" Prov.18:24. Thank you Jesus, you are that friend who sticks closer than a brother. Through all that we have been through, you have gone through it with us. You will never leave us or forsake us.
1.-Share a time when a friend failed you or hurt you deeply. (No names please, especially if it's mine:) Did he ever apologize? If not, I hope you have chosen to forgive him, even if you never see him again. Giving forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. It frees you up.
If someone hurts you in M3, look to the Lord for His grace to help you restore the relationship. It's so easy to quit, but so unmanly. I heard recently of one guy who quit leading a Bible study because someone disagreed with him. I mean he quit leading it in the middle of teaching it that day! Ugh! Be a man and bite the bullet. Love suffers long and is kind. What's worse, he never came back and apologized; he left the church entirely. Ugh, ugh! That is so boyish, not manly.
This ends our 4 part series on FRIENDSHIP in Proverbs, but may this be just the beginning of our growing friendships. So please don't leave the blog without giving a friendly word of encouragement to someone who has already commented on the blog. Make this a holy habit; such daily encouragements gains and deepens friendships.
2.-Read Prov.19:15-29 and share a verse or phrase that caught your attention. Then seek to share that with others.
Announcements
Speaking of enjoying friendships, I would enjoy hiking with you my friend. If you are free to join me, I will be hiking a beautiful area this Saturday at 8:00AM. at Cherry Hill Woods in Palos Hills, out near Jack's house. http://ift.tt/1QkASR6 We will be exploring a really cool wooded area nearby, with rocks, ravines and a creek. Call or text me if you're coming. Then I'll see you there. Yep, your kids are welcome. We will hike for an hour and a half max and you can leave earlier if need be. Please be there before 8:00, since we will be heading out promptly. It's supposed to be a beautiful day:)
It's going to be a big event! Don't miss this Sunday's M3 meeting. It will be at New Life Midway at 11:30- 12:45. Recognition will be given to many of you, and I have got a powerful outreach tool to put in each one of your hands. Feel free to invite friends interested in M3. A free will offering will be taken to help pay for things bought such as the M3 cards, outreach cards and Unstoppable award pins. Thanks for how generous you've been!
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