SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 17:17.    A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
 
Oh Friends, our God is into His mysterious workings with me today. Earlier on, I was reading my Bible, the one I got from my mother, and I happened to come across this bookmark that asked the age old but very important question ‘What is a Friend? Here’s the answer it provides: ‘A friend is someone very dear who shares your hopes and dreams, who shows you that the grayest day is brighter than it seems, A friend will bring you happiness that lasts a lifetime through – I know, for that’s the kind of friend I found when I met you.’ I had a Selah moment – then excitedly said to myself, ‘But that’s Jesus they’re talking about!’ For that’s the kind of friendship He brings to our lives when we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour! And believe me, the words to that old but blessed and BELOVED Hymn ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus,’ immediately rose up in my soul. I couldn’t remember all the words at the time, so I checked them out just now, and here they are: ‘What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Ev’rything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Ev’rything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour, still our refuge; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms He’ll take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.’ Oh my people, who could want for a better Friend than Jesus eh; the most powerful Being in existence, Master of all He surveys, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein, yet humble and LOVING enough to befriend the worthless and ungrateful children of men? How could it not be a wonder and a blessing to associate with such a magnificent and majestic Being! He fulfills the words of our Bit to the nth degree: ‘A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ The scholars claim: ‘A true friend has unquenchable LOVE that is not diminished by adversity.’ And that’s the gospel truth people! It brings to mind the human friendship of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, when their men folk die in a foreign land and Naomi plans to return to her people and tells Ruth to go back to her own. ‘And Ruth said, Entreat (urge) me not to leave thee, or to return (turn back) from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. When she (Naomi) saw that she (Ruth) was steadfastly minded (determined) to go with her, then she (Naomi) left speaking unto her (didn’t try to dissuade her any more).’ (Ruth 1:16-18) Now that’s a wonderful illustration of friendship! And for that ‘stick-to-itiveness’, the Lord rewarded her with being the great grandmother of Bruh David, a member of the line from whom Jesus was descended. Wow! Doesn’t our God write wonderful scripts! Oh fellow believers, though Jesus is Lord and Master of ALL, He is still capable of being a Friend; the ‘BESTEST’ Friend ever, as the young people would say! Please also look to Him as such, and whenever you need a friend to talk to, or just to sit quietly with, please turn to Him, for there’s NO ONE like Him; a Friend in need and a Friend in deed, One who promises never to leave or forsake you, to help you bear all your burdens, give you salvation and eternal life. And you can be sure He’ll never bad talk you behind your back or spread all your heartfelt secrets abroad, as so many supposed human friends do. (smile) Yes my brethren, Jesus is the Friend of all Friends! Please turn to Him in your time of need, and you’ll be surprised at the awesome friendship you’ll develop, and quickly too, once you bare your heart to Him. And this is not hearsay people, but personal experience. I’m reminded of last summer when I was sick and we’d sit down on my front porch during the midnight hours and reason. And yuh know what, while I sat on the chair on the porch, Jesus would always sit on the step below me. That’s how humble He is in His friendships! So please turn to Jesus RIGHT NOW if you need a faithful friend, and you’ll never experience one moment of regret. I guarantee you that! One note of caution here. Not because Jesus is all powerful and otherwise, means that being His friend will automatically make life easy for you, and you’ll just sail through it without a problem. On the contrary, you can be sure that he’ll always tell you like it is. He won’t mince words and only tell you what you want to hear. If you’re wrong, He’ll so inform you, but in His masterful, non-demeaning, non-judgemental way, with the utmost of care, consideration and LOVE. Just like our earthly friends sometimes need to give us a blast to make us smarten up, Jesus will do the same thing, just in a less controversial and belittling manner. Oh my people, I can’t begin to tell you the privileges, benefits, blessings, etc. etc. that comes from having Jesus as your personal ‘BESTEST’ Friend! You have to experience it to really understand the peace, calm, warmth, joy and understanding He brings into our lives, when we allow Him to walk this rugged earthly journey with us! Trust me, it’s real, and it’s beautiful! I wouldn’t lie to you on something as important as this. Till next time then, please walk with Jesus beside you, every step of the way. That’s the only way to successfully navigate this earthly journey. Much LOVE!…looking for a real true Friend…then try Jesus…He’s undoubtedly the ‘BESTEST’ there is…