An important issue that keeps surfacing amongst Christian circles
is how we treat one another as friends. Hurts
and division can and do occur when, for example, friends get together and fail
to invite other friends. If it isn’t
dealt with properly, this is the fastest way to sever relationships and cause
division in the Body of Christ. Many
times it can’t be helped when friends are excluded, but still, if they feel neglected
and hurt and we know that they do, then we should consider what Jesus would
want us to do to restore their sense of feeling loved and accepted. And if we ourselves are hurt, then we need to
let our friend know that, calmly talk it over to discover the truth about it,
and then offer them forgiveness.
Throughout Scripture, it is crystal clear that we are
admonished to love one another. Any
reference to love in the Bible is godly and means self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, humility, and more. Sacrifice is
when we willingly give up a part of ourselves or give up our own desires for
the sake of and for the good of another.
Jesus didn’t just teach this principal, He commanded it of all those who
claim to know Him.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, that ye love one
another, even as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:17 These
things I command you, that ye may love one another.
In fact, if we don’t love our brother, we can’t say that
we love God.
1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
cannot love God whom he hath not seen.
1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, that
he who loveth God love his brother also.
As fallen human beings, we can easily
become selfish because that is our nature until we receive Jesus and He gives
us a redeemed nature. Once we have been
given this new nature, then we must give due diligence to how we treat others. Scripture teaches that we must consider how
what we do or fail to do affects others (vs. 24). If we do not care about how
our actions affect others, then do we really care how it affects God and our
relationship with Him?
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful; but not all things are
expedient. All things are lawful; but not all things edify.
1Co 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbor's good.
1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1Co 10:32 Give no occasions of stumbling, either to
Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God:
1Co 10:33 even as I also please all men in all things,
not seeking mine own profit, but the profit
of the many, that they may be saved.
True love is without partiality. There
is a right way to treat one another to avoid dissension and ill-feelings by
what we say and what we do. When we honor others, we honor God. One way to gage our words and actions is to
ask ourselves if the way we are treating our friend is the way we want to be treated.
Php 2:1 If there is therefore any exhortation in
Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
tender mercies and compassions,
Php 2:2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same
mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;
Php 2:3 doing
nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each
counting other better than himself;
Php 2:4 not looking each of you to his own things,
but each of you also to the things of others.
Php 2:5 Have this mind in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus:
Finally, when friendships go awry, we must make every
effort to make them right without delay.
To fail to do so is to be in direct violation to God and His Word, and is
considered disobedience (see James 4:17).
If things in our life do not go well, then we can attribute it to
failing to keep our relationships honoring before God. Things did not
turn around for Job who had lost everything until he prayed for and likely
forgave his friends (see Job 42:10).
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,
Eph 4:2 with all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3 giving diligence to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.
Let’s start off the New Year right, take a few moments to
pray, and ask God to reveal our heart regarding our friendships. Do we need to forgive someone, or do we need
to ask forgiveness of someone? Then we
need to take action. We can expect the
peace that God promises, and know that our obedience is well pleasing to God.
