Challenge

Prayer – Lord, You were marvelous at creating friendships. It isn’t that easy for me…but I am wiling to try. Then I think of the quote from Yoda…“Do or do not. There is no try.” Wise advice. Your advice also rings in my head…”Do unto others as you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7:12)” I think that includes making and keeping friends. Show me how to intentionally do that. 

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

 

Meditate. Read God’s word and listen to what He is saying.

 

Imagine yourself sitting around a big table—reclining as they did in Jesus’ time—and feasting at a meal with other Christians. Please pass the hummus…and the pita bread. Would you like more water, wine, or tea? Laughter. Smiles. A joyous meal. Tomorrow, come to my house. I’m cooking up some lentil soup. It will be a tasty meal. Did you hear that the gentleman across the street just accepted Jesus as his Savior? Ah. Here he is now—and he has his wife and son with him. Praise God! Our fellowship is growing again.

 

Start a new friendship today.
Be intentional. 
Love God--love others.
Enjoy the goodwill of all people.

Building relationships is the key to a growing fellowship. Those relationships with others and with God depend on spending time together—just as the early Christians did. Time of worshipping, studying the scriptures, fellowshipping, sharing meals, and generously giving to others. If they needed clothes, food, or help with a project—I’m sure they shared with each other. Time together and shared resources bonds people to each other, socially and spiritually. Think about your group of friends. Do you share meals, scripture, and fellowship? Actually, consider those with whom you want to be friends. A couple of years ago I was at a ladies’ conference when the speaker mentioned a book she had just read, “Friendships Don’t Just Happen” by Shasta Nelson who encouraged ladies, but it could apply to men as well, to intentionally establish circles of friends. Without the epidemic threat of isolation, we can now interact with people, real time and face to face, so we have that opportunity to establish new friendships. Those new companionships give them and us the possibility to do as Jesus taught…to love others as we love ourselves.  Build a bridge today toward God and towards others in your midst that He created—then joyfully cross that bridge together like those in early Christian fellowship as Luke described in the book of Acts.

 

Twenty-one Day Challenge from January 16 blog post:

We aren’t to put money, or career, home, or even family before God. That may be a real challenge for some people.  So, I challenge you to put God first every day for twenty-one days. That’s the length of time it takes to change a habit. No better habit that to put God first in your life. Begin today, and finish on February 5^th. 

Have you met this challenge? Do you need to repeat it?

 

Verses of Salvation ~ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:8-11

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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