.....::::: TELL ME WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE... :::::.....

A friend is someone who acts as a supporter of a cause. A person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side. A person whom one knows and with whom has a bond of mutual affection. But most of all, a friend is someone who listens, helps, encourages in making the right decisions and gives. But sadly, this isn’t always the case. We tend to be influenced by the “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, also known as fake friends. People tend to become like those with whom they spend a lot of time. Even the negative characteristics and habits sometimes rub off. The Bible exhorts us to be cautious in our choice of companions. Choose people with qualities you would like to develop in your own life.

A person that you call friend should have most, if not all of the following qualities:

1. The person should not be judgmental. Regardless of what you do, he or she will not think any less of you. You can turn to this person with anything because they understand that at your core you are a good person.

2. They have to have good morals. ( 1 Corinthians 15:33)

3. They are modest. (1 Timothy 2:9)

4. They abstain from living life like they did in the past before coming to Christ. (1 Peter 4:3)

5. They control their tongues. (James 1:26)

6. They are honest. (Luke 8:15)

7. They are law-abiding. (Romans 13:1-7)

The friends we surround ourselves with determine who we become. Whether that be positive or negative. They either support us in making wise decisions, or lead us down a path of bad choices. I pray that you choose to surround yourself with friends who make wise choices. Find a friend like Jonathan was to David, one who encourages you to seek God's wisdom.

The decisions we make define the person we become. So in our day-to-day moments, we must constantly look to God. He gives us His wisdom for a purpose--so that we may live the life He intended for us.

We must pray and remain connected with Him so that when it comes time to decide, we choose the right path. And in choosing the right path, we choose to be defined by God's wisdom. That means that in everything we do, even in choosing friendships, God must be our reference.

In the end, it is good to have friends. But it is better to have one friend who will help us stay on the right path with God, rather than many would could cause us to lose our souls. A friend who respects God and everything that is spiritual is highly recommended. This does not mean that you cannot befriend someone who doesn’t follow these qualities. Jesus hung out with the worst of the worst, by societies standards but He was not influenced. He was the one doing the influencing. Keep that in mind and have a marvelous day! Stay blessed and in faith! If you are looking for a friend with these qualities, I know a guy named Jesus that really lives up to these standards without a hick!

Proverbs 22:24-25 "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE? :::::.....

Hey everyone!!! Hope all is well with you! A couple of months ago, we at Spread4Christ posted a blog entry called: “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” It explaining what love is as written in 1 Corinthians 13 and why it is important. The crazy thing is that we sometimes treat love as if it was this new thing that just randomly showed up. But it was always here! What we aim to do in this post is show you “how” to channel this love and how if demonstrated properly, it can change someone’s day and even their life.

Being a avid social networker, it allows me to truly see what people think sometimes. If you haven’t noticed, there are those certain people that post everything they are going through on social media. (I am guilty of it…sometimes…okay…often). Where am I going with this? I have had the chance to see many posts about love; from tumblrs, tweets, statuses on Facebook and even Instagram pictures. Some people, because they have been hurt or betrayed or disappointed by love, they bad-mouth it. You know those posts that I am talking about. The ones that say “I’m doing me” or even the anti-love posts. But there is something wrong with that. How can love be bad if God is love? What the person probably experienced was “immature love”. Not that it was bad but it just wasn’t the right time. A friend of mine once used this parable to explain mature love.

“Have you ever eaten a fruit that isn’t ripe? Love is the same way. Anyone can say, “I love you”, but if the love isn’t mature, it doesn’t taste good. For a fruit to be ripe, it has to spend time in the sun. For our love to be mature, it has to spend time in The Son.”

Deep right? Well in 1 Corinthians 13, it clearly states what love is supposed to be. But what if the person isn’t receptive to that kind of love? What if you are doing it wrong? What if the way the world loves is not the way we should ACTUALLY be loving one another? But how do we love one another though? Love is more than a simple warm feeling. It is a call to action. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. But how can we REALLY love others as Jesus loves us? Well, have you ever tried to show someone love and they were completely unreceptive? Jesus loves us regardless. Nothing we do can make Him love us less (do not take it for granted) so since He forgives all and loves all, we should do the same. Loving another the way Jesus loves us is to let bygones be bygones and move forward together in peace and love.

Loving someone the way that Jesus loves us is;

...helping someone when it is not convenient. There may be that one person that no matter how many times you see them, they may annoy you or even make you uncomfortable but if that person needs you or even if they don’t come out and say that they do, love and help them anyway!

…giving when it hurts. Yeah…this one right? It is easier to say than do, right? But that still does not make it any less important. Above, I spoke about when the person you are helping or showing love to is not receptive, do not take your love away. Nor should you suffocate them with love. I know a few people who have gone through relationships where all the other person did was take, take and take but never gave. And eventually the other person ended up cheating or leaving. I know it sounds crazy and I know it may sound like something impossible, but trust me, loving someone that does not necessarily love you back is one of the best feelings in the world. Why? Well, Jesus goes through it everyday with us in my opinion. In the Bible it says that if we love God, we will obey. No one is perfect and we mess up sometimes so obey on a 24 hour basis is hard. But Jesus still loves us even if we do the things that hurt Him. What fun is it to love the ones that everyone else already loves? You accomplish so much more by loving the people that love you back and even the ones that don’t.

…by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than your own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. Basically, when showing love, you must forget yourself and put others before you. This kind of loving is extremely hard to do but it is not impossible.

What makes loving like Jesus so amazing is that when you do it, people do notice. People never understood why and how Jesus was able to love and approach the people He did even today. How come? Because, to love others the way Christ loved other was and still is revolutionary! Love keeps believers in Christ strong and united in this world that is hostile to God. And you never know how you can impact and change someone’s life with love. Let’s change the world! Reach out and love someone today!

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(Devotions/ Devotionals)