Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Proverbs 17:17 (05/25/23)
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TITLE: Reliable Resources | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
05/31/23 -
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Friend is an English translation of the Hebrew word r-e-a referring to a neighbor, or a companion with whom you have a personal relationship. One can have neighbors and even companions who are not your Proverbs 17:17 “friends”.
To qualify as a Proverbs 17: 17 “friend,” one must be one who has and applies the mind of Christ (1), evidenced by putting the interests of others ahead of his or her own (2). For these are the friends that love at ALL times.
There are several types of love spoken of in Scripture, but love is measured by the extent that one is willing to sacrifice oneself for the benefit of the person or object of his love.
God is love (3), but not all feelings of affection come from God (4). Illicit feelings of affection are a very powerful and destructive force of evil.
Discipleship requires that illicit feelings of affection be forsaken, and that our legitimate loves (for God, family, and wholesome activities) must be kept in their appropriate place of priority (5).
Anyone (or anything) that would have you think otherwise is not your friend.
The greater the love, the greater the bond, and the greater it’s influence.
Expressing love towards those who love you is easy (6) Matt.5: 46).
But developing the willingness to, “…love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6: 27, 28 NASB),” will take the John 15: 5 enabling power of God to accomplish.
According to Luke 10: 29-37, everyone with whom we interact with is our neighbor. Mark 12: 31 teaches that the command to love one’s neighbor is only second to the command to love God with all one’s heart.
It was a “friend” that betrayed Jesus, and it was His close “companions” that deserted Him (6).
The word brother in Prov. 17: 17 is an English translation of the Hebrew word a-c-h, referring to a male sibling, related biologically by physical blood.
It can also be used metaphorically, referring to brothers and sisters in the family of God who are related to each other through faith in the atoning blood of Christ.
Proverbs 17: 17 teach us that biological, and spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord, are to be there for us in times of adversity. But human input has its limitations.
There are many things that can cause divisions and separation between biological and spiritual brothers and sisters. Such divisions and separations can limit, and in some cases all but eliminate, meaningful interaction.
Like a runner in a torch-relay race, one cannot pass something along to others until he has first taken possession of it for himself. This includes the accuracy and the appropriate application of Bible Doctrine.
For seven days and seven nights Job’s visitors were THERE for him, but had no words of comfort to offer. When they and Job’s wife did speak, they contributed nothing positive to his situation. If anything, their words were like salt being poured into an open wound, adding insult to injury.
In the life of virtually every advancing disciple, there has been, is, and will be, times when he or she will find him/herself in the midst of great adversity. They may come in the form of great physical or emotional pain, or a combination of both, with little, if anything, that human resources can do about it.
Our only source of hope and deliverance will be our knowledge of God’s sovereignty, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and principles of doctrine that we store away in our edified soul structures (7) BEFORE the storms of life hit.
Our preparedness (or lack of it) is why some believers can handle great adversity, whereas others fall apart just as quickly as do their unbelieving counterparts.
Thank God that we are not left alone with the limitations that our human resources have to offer.
“A man of too many (worldly-minded) friends comes to ruin, But there is a FRIEND who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18: 24 NASB parenthesis mine).”
This Prov. 18: 24 friend is God. He loves you at all times, and will still be there for you when all other sources of comfort and guidance have failed to deliver.
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(1) 1Cor. 2: 16 (2) Phil.2: 3 (3) 1John 4:8 (4) Heb. 13: 4/Rom. 1: 26-27 (5) Luke 14: 26/Rev. 2: 4 (6) Psalms 41: 9/Matt. 26: 50/Mark 14: 50 (7) Matt. 7: 24-27
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