Out of the furnance of war comes many true stories of sacrifcial friendship. One such story tells of two friends in World War 1, who were inseparable. They had enlisted together, trained together, were shipped overseas together, and fought side-by-side in the trenches. During an attack, one of the men was critically wounded in a field filled with barbed wire obstacles, and he was unable to crawl back to his foxhole. The entire area was under a withering enemy crossfire, and it was suicidal to try to reach him. Yet his friend decided to try. Before he could get out of his own trench, his sergeant yanked him back inside and order him not to go. "It's to late. You can't do him any good, and you'll only get yourself killed,"
A few minutes later, the officer yurned his back, and instantly the man was gone after his friend. A few minutes later, he staggered back, mortally wounded, with his friend, now dead, in his arms. "What a waste," he blurred out. "He's dead and you're dying. It just wasn't worth it."
With almost his last breath, the dying man rellied, Oh yes, it was, Sarge. When I got to him, the only thing he said was, 'I knew you'd come jim!'"
One of the marks of true friend us that he is there when there is every reason for him not to be, when to be there is sacrificially costly. As Proverbs17:17 puts it, "A friend loved at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
Epaphroditus was there for Paul when it was costly, All true friends are. Is that the same mark of commitment and loyalty evident in the way you related to your closed friends? For help in finding out, spend some time thinking through the following questions.
1. What are the limits of my friendship? Do I use people, or do I lay down mu life for them? How much do I know of sacriificial love?
2. What is my impact on others? Am I a change agent for godliness in my friend's life? Is he move of a disciple because of me? Am I giving away myself in such a way that God -given needs are being met in his life?
3.Do I take the risk of openness, or is there a carefully constructed wall around my life that no one can penetrate? Have I ever expressed verbally my love and appreciation for my friend and displayed that love by openning up my life to him?
4.Am I an initiator of love, or am I waiting for others to earn my approval or reach out to me?...
5. How am I helping my friend realize
his potential in any or every area of life? Is he fruitful because of Me?
The Marketer friend "Come" and
Join Royale
No comments:
Post a Comment