OLD FRIENDS!

 

Thursday, May 14, 2026

 

OLD FRIENDS!

 

James 2:23

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

 

John 15:14-17

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

 

          Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “friend” as: one who is not hostile; an acquaintance; one attached to another by respect or affection. This morning I realize that I have friends scattered all over the world. Some are old friends, and some are older. I think there are few things more valuable than old friends.

 

          Modern technology makes it possible to shorten the miles that separate me from my old friends. Instead of a paper and ink letter that may take days to deliver, I can send and receive an electronic message instantly. If I want to see their face tiny cameras make that possible in real time. It is a marvelous age in which we live and yet I marvel at how quickly my friends and especially their children grow older without my observance.

 

          God is my friend. Let that truth sink down into your soul and apply Webster’s definition. God is an acquaintance with whom I share respect and affection. We share secrets and fond memories of bits of life shared together. Because He loves me, He will never lead me astray. Because He respects me, His plans for me are always good plans and His gifts to me are always the best. He is a good friend. He will never side with my enemy against me. Even when we disagree, He remains a true friend. 

 

          As God’s friend I sometimes struggle to fulfill the proper definition of friendship. Though God has always proven himself to be trustworthy I often do not trust him. Sometimes I even side with his enemy against him. I wander away from his companionship. I am not a very good friend, but I love my Friend and He loves me.

 

Dear Lord, thank you that I have many old friends and that you are one of them. AMEN

 

IF I COULD JUST TOUCH HIM!

 

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

 

IF I COULD JUST TOUCH HIM!

 

Luke 8:46-47

46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately.

 

          There was a sick woman who had tried everything to gain healing to no avail. She thought “If I could only touch the hem of His garment, I would be made whole.” So, she did! She sneaked up on him and put out a finger and touched His clothes. Her condition was healed immediately!

 

          The disciples marveled because a huge crowd was “touching” Jesus. None of those were changed! The difference for the sick woman was that Jesus felt a loss of power.

 

          The word “virtue” is the Greek dunamis which is the same word used in God’s promise of power in Acts 1:8. Dunamis is the basis for our word dynamite. Jesus felt the loss of strength. Every act of ministry causes a loss to the one ministering. Jesus had unlimited resources, but we do not. We need to be occasionally recharged.

 

Dear Lord, let me never hesitate to come to you with my needs. Thank you for your limitless resource of virtue and power. AMEN

 

GOD DELIGHTS IN YOU!

 

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

 

GOD DELIGHTS IN YOU!

 

Prov 3:11-12

11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord ; neither be weary of his correction:

12 For whom the Lord  loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

 

Heb 12:6

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

 

          I once observed a grandmother with an infant grandson. The only way to describe the look on her face was pure delight. She delighted in this grandson. She took note of all his features from his tiny fingers to his little bald spot where the hair had been worn away in the crib. My wife says that the first thing a new mother does is to count fingers and toes. The eye can hardly get enough of the tiny life in her arms.

 

          In the same way, God delights in us. This is in stark contrast to what we generally think when God is trying to teach us a lesson by chastening us. We see him as a stern judge with harsh and unbending rules that are impossible to keep but the opposite is true.

 

          The word delight is set in the midst of correction. In fact, it is the reason for correction. We are corrected because he delights in us. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for delight here is ratsah which carries with it the satisfying of a debt. God delighted in us so much that He sent His Son Jesus as the satisfaction for our debt. The debt is paid because He delights in us. The debt is paid so that He can continue delighting in us.

 

Thank you, Lord, for delighting in me. Help me to feel your love even when you are in the process of chastening me. AMEN