Romans 16: 8 My greetings to
Ampliatus, my dear friend in the fellowship of the Lord. 9 Greetings also to Urbanus,
our fellow worker in Christ's service, and to Stachys, my dear friend. 10 Greetings to Apelles, whose
loyalty to Christ has been proved. Greetings to those who belong to the family
of Aristobulus. 11 Greetings to Herodion, a fellow Jew, and
to the Christians in the family of Narcissus.
============
“Sit right here on
the letter ‘W’ the teacher said. There was no one with the last name with the
letter ‘U’ so I had a conversation with the boy sitting on the letter ‘T.’
Decades later we still have conversations along with a few other guys who I
have had the honor to know and love all these years. We pray together and time
has tested our loyalties.
- I have met many people who I call friend.
- I have interacted with many people who are now my friends.
- I have prayed with many people who I can count on as a friend.
Paul switches to a
different tone in his greeting. He speaks about family, fellowship and friends.
But he does this in relationship to CHRIST. He knows that friendships can be
fleeting, so he mentions Apelles, whose loyalty to CHRIST was somehow proven.
- GOD wants me to accept those who believe in the LORD as friends.
- GOD wants me to become part of a family so I can help serve the LORD.
- GOD wants me to see others as fellow workers of the LORD.
Friendship can be
hard when I place my criteria on another person. I mean, when people have to
meet certain standards I, or others who know me, have set in our minds, then
few people will measure up.
BUT GOD is the
standard maker and HE erases their sin and exposes mine. HE wants me to realize
that other people are just as forgiven as I am. HE loves when I greet people
who serve HIM and treat them as fellow family who are my friends. I am glad to
be part of a loving group in JESUS.
- What is your criteria for “friendship?”
- Do other people have more problems than you?
- Will you reduce your judgment of others so you can have more friends who can work alongside you for the sake of CHRIST today?
No comments:
Post a Comment