Ruth Clemence

Believers have the amazing privilege to go directly to the throne of God through Jesus, and ask Him for wisdom and direction. We do not need to cross our fingers and hope for the best, whilst avoiding walking under ladders and treating black cats with suspicion.

From the very beginning, it was God who said it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Proverbs 27:17 states “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Having someone to converse with, be encouraged by and sharpen thoughts with is a blessing from God. We are created by God to firstly be in communion with Him; we are not designed to live for ourselves or by ourselves without Him.

As we think about friendship, we can ponder the majesty and truth of our God, who reveals what it means to be a friend. As the Bible testifies about Jesus, we can meditate upon Him as He loves His people from before the world began, and on into eternity. Here are seven things found in the Bible about friendship:

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Growing up, the Bible was in my bedroom but seldom opened. I believed in Jesus and cannot remember a time I felt as if God didn’t exist. God just was. However, I did not follow Him as Lord and Savior growing up. In God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness to me, that changed over time. Far from being a God who “just was,” I discovered that he is “the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come” (Revelation 1:8).

As different opportunities arose, I heard more of God’s Word through circumstances, through other believers, through music, and for myself as I started to open up the Bible and engage with it more. What I found was a book that was the very word of God, which is “alive and active… sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Here are a selection of verses that have shaped my walk as a follower of Jesus. May they bless you as much as they have encouraged and sustained me.

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We are made in the image of God, but because of sin, that image has been distorted. All of us are still image bearers and we need to live with that in mind as we interact with others and love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Those around us bear the image of God and Jesus died for their sin as well as ours. 

Do you remember receiving a gift or a piece of news and being overwhelmed with a feeling of delight? Have you perhaps opened a present or heard some news that left you disappointed? Sometimes we might think God has a similar view when it comes to us: absolute delight or crushing disappointment.

Now imagine you are the one bringing a great gift or some wonderful news to someone. You anticipate how they will react upon receiving it. Will they be delighted or disappointed? The reality is God is the greatest gift giver and good news teller of all time. He gave His Son, Jesus, as a gift that we did not deserve, but He chose to bestow it upon us because of His grace and love for us. Our reaction to this may be one of delight or disappointment toward Him. If our view of God is skewed, our view of ourselves is also off.

“How can God delight in me?” we think to ourselves. “I’m a disappointment.” Jesus came and died on the cross knowing the very worst about us. Nothing surprises God. We are completely separated from Him without His intervention. Only Jesus can save us. Far from being displeased, He delights in His children. Zephaniah 3:17 says:

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Jesus is the Mighty Warrior who saves. He takes “great delight in you” and in His love He will no longer have sharp disapproval or criticism of you. His blood washes away your sins (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:10) and in Him you have redemption (Ephesians 1:7).

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To God, believers are a “pleasing aroma of Christ.” We bring the good news of Jesus, and we are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). In the world, there are those who are being saved and those who are perishing. As Christians, we walk among both groups of people in life, but not everyone receives the aroma of Christ in the same way.

Dating can be daunting. It can bring excitement as well as anxiety. There are moments of great joy, and the possibility of pain and rejection. There are many unknowns as well as many opportunities. In many ways, dating can be much like life itself!

Below are some prayers written for those who are dating and who may be walking through the highs and lows that it can bring. However, these prayers also serve as a reminder to all Christians, whatever our relationship status may be. Matters of the heart and our affections toward God and others are important. May these prayers strengthen and encourage you to keep your eyes on the Lord.

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We are not the savior and rescuer that we often pretend we are. We are finite, vulnerable individuals who need basic needs met to continue to function, let alone thrive. Whereas God can be everywhere at all times, we are bound by time and space. 

Jesus is the light that penetrates the darkness, and His light enables us to see everything clearly in light of Him. Why would we continue living our lives in the dark without Jesus once we know the truth?

Receiving flowers as a gift is uplifting. The colors, scent, and the thought that went into giving them is a wonderful gesture. The stems are cut, a vase is filled with water and these blooms are carefully arranged as a bright, fragrant display for everyone to enjoy. However, after a few days, the flowers are past their best; they may start to change appearance, lose their coloring and eventually wilt before being discarded. As well-meaning as a gift of flowers is, it is short-lived as the flowers have been cut from their life source. The bouquet of beauty arrived already dead.

Like flowers that need to remain attached to the life-giving plant to flourish, followers of Jesus are meant to remain in Him or “abide.” In John 15:5-6, Jesus says:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

Christians are to remain in Jesus like the branches remain attached to the vine. He gives us all that we need to sustain us in this life and for all eternity.

Being saved means we are “in Christ.” It is our status and we are now united in Christ by faith and all His riches have become our own. In Colossians 2:13, it says, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.” God has given us new life in Him.

When Jesus was crucified, we were also crucified with Him; we no longer live but it is Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). We joined with Him in His death as He took our sin upon Himself. Now we are risen with Him, and seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Being in Christ means we have a communion with Him that is rooted in His death and resurrection, and Jesus calls us to remain or “abide” in His love (John 15:9).

So what does abiding in Christ look like in the Christian life?

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We will all fail at some point. Maybe several times over. However, we can learn and grow through our mistakes. After all, life is not about success after success without any sign of struggle. Failure is part of the human condition. Things do not always go to plan and even our best intentions for something good may actually lead to failure.

Adam and Eve failed in following the one command from God, which was to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Since then, every human being is born with a sinful nature (Romans 5:12), and sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). It was an epic failure, like the first domino to fall and start the fall of all the others.

However, it is God’s response to their failure that gives us hope of how to deal with failure in our own lives. God did not fail them. God is described as “a faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). It is always His perfect faithfulness that covers all of our failures.

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When we look at the intricacy of a snowflake, the symmetry of a butterfly, or the perfect location of the earth’s position in the rest of the solar system, we see the handiwork of our Creator God. He also planned that we would be made in His image (Genesis 1:26), so it is no surprise that we get to experience the wonder and joy of creativity ourselves. 

Jesus is in heaven with the Father. Yet we are told in Colossians 3:3 that our life is “hidden with Christ in God.” How can our life be hidden with Jesus in heaven, whilst we carry on living here on the earth? 

Easter seems like the best time for evangelism. It is often seen as a window of opportunity to talk freely about faith. During this time especially, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus are the focus of the church, both locally and across the world. Like Christmas, there are services that appeal to people because of tradition, and are seen as opportunities to share the hope of Jesus. However, preaching “Christ crucified” is not just for Easter.

Those leading services and sharing the gospel message cannot afford to keep the cross of Christ in a box like an Easter egg. If the egg stays inside the box and is merely observed, it is not being held, delighted in, and eventually consumed. Similarly, if the preaching of the cross is only proclaimed fully at Easter, the delight, the joy and the reality of all Jesus has done will not be given to a hungry, hurting world starved of truth.

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