A Quick Blog On Friendship

This is my answer to one of the discussion questions in one of my current KI classes.

How can we be a good friend?

John 15:15 says that Jesus has made us his friends. It says that he made us friends when he taught us everything that he learned from his Father.

If we are to be like Jesus, then I believe we cannot be a good friend unless we are willing to take an active role in another person’s spiritual life. If the other person is an unbeliever, then we can only be a friend to him by developing enough of a relationship with him that we are free to show him his sin, and then show him the Way Jesus has provided for him to be saved.

If the other person is a fellow Christian, then we can only be a friend with him if we find ways to encourage him and keep him accountable in his walk with God.

There are many other ways the world suggests to be a good friend, and I believe a lot of those ways could be considered Biblical, i.e. being loyal, not gossiping your friend, and helping him get through rough times in his life…  but because none of these listed items assist in that person’s final salvation, if the “friend” is a non-believer and we haven’t shared a way for him to be freed from his sin and have eternal life, then we have not loved him, and we have certainly not befriended him. We have stalled or hindered his walk with God.

What Is Wisdom?

I am taking a class on the book of Proverbs over at Koinonia Institute. I thought I'd post a quick answer to one of my discussion questions because I think it's a good question that each of us should consider.

Use your own words to define wisdom. Besides Jesus, who is the wisest person you know? Why?

There are several ways to describe wisdom, but I believe the definition I would most attain for in my own life would be an ability to consistently and accurately discern God’s will coupled with the learned, disciplined willpower to obey it.

Solomon was one who was given the gift of wisdom. He was able to write all sorts of proverbs that helped many people, but ultimately that wisdom only resulted in a head-knowledge, as his life did not become Christ-like and he strayed from the center of God’s will.

Wisdom is useless if its direction is not obeyed, and I believe one is not truly wise unless he or she is somehow able to both obtain wisdom and then obey its promptings.

Besides Jesus, the wisest person I know is my mother. She consistently puts into action the things she believes God would have her do, and this, to me, is the essence of wisdom.