FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Week 4 Day 2

 

LET YOUR GODLY FRIENDSHIP STRENGTHEN YOUR GOD RELATIONSHIP.

 

My freshman year at college was crazy.  I had moved away from home, away from a strong group of believers in my youth group.  I suddenly found myself with a roommate who was not a believer.  His motto must have been “anything goes.”  And it did…in our dorm room!  From the posters that hung on the wall, to the illegal drugs he took and sold, to the items he stole to pay for his habit.  And that’s the PG version.  My life was upside down.

 

But in that season, God sent me a friend, David Perry from Orange, Texas.  David was a strong believer.  We attended a large Christian organization together and somehow got placed in the same small group; David, me and our leader, Grif.  David and I learned and leaned on one another.  For me there was no one closer.  30 years later David and I remain friends.

 

David was a great and godly friend.  But no matter how strong it was, my faith in God needed to be stronger.

 

LET YOUR GODLY FRIENDSHIP STRENGTHEN YOUR GOD RELATIONSHIP.

 

Prayer:  “God, I love you.  Thank you for good friends.  Help me to grow deeper in my walk with you.”

 

Grab Your Bible:  Read Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

 

 

 This is a well-known Psalm you often hear at funerals.  King David actually wrote it long after his friend Jonathan was killed in battle.  David, a former shepherd, declared, “God is my shepherd!  He is the one I must have.  He meets all my needs.  He fights my battles.  He protects me.  And even when I walk through the hardest moments of my life, He is with me.  He never leaves me.”

David had a strong friendship with Jonathan.  Jonathan could not meet David’s needs like God did.  David’s faith and friendship with God grew stronger because of Jonathan.  The friendship with God is essential.  The friendship with Jonathan helped him trust God even more.

I hope you have a David Perry in your life.  And if you do, be thankful.  But never let that friendship replace God in your life.  Let your godly friendship strengthen your God relationship.

LET YOUR GODLY FRIENDSHIP STRENGTHEN YOUR GOD RELATIONSHIP.

 

Prayer:  God give me a heart like David that chooses to trust in You no matter what.  I pray that I will have a trusted friend that will help me grow closer to you.