Blog 60: By Their Fruit
Happy Word Wednesday Young Believers! My name is Lyle Gladney or as most know me LJ. I am absolutely thrilled to be back for a third time and spread the word God put on my heart.
Sarai and I at her party last November. ( 2022 )
Today we will be talking about friends or more accurately the people you surround yourself with. Do you have lots of friends? Do you prefer to keep your circle small? Either way, you swing it, friendship is an important part of life. But it is important to pay attention to who you call your friends because not all of them have your best interests in mind. Let's see what the Bible says. In 1st John 4:1, it says “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
In other words, do not blindly put your trust in someone because you call them a friend.
You might be asking, how do I know who is a real friend or not? Let's turn back to the Bible. Mathew 7:15 says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits…” What this means is that you will know them by their actions. You will be able to tell a real friend from a fake friend by their actions.
What does a real friend look like? We know what a fake friend looks like but what about a real friend? Well for starters real friends have your best interest at heart. Real friends tell you the truth even if it may hurt. Real friends celebrate and grow with you. Real friends are there when you need them, and a real friend holds you accountable. But these are just from lived experiences let's turn to the bible for one of the traits that God says a real friend has: “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” - Galatians 6:2 What this means is friends help you carry your burdens, and also help you follow God's Commandments, which leads me perfectly into my last piece of advice.
My final piece of advice is to bring the Lord into your friendships. Friendship can only benefit and grow from this. Doing things like Bible Study, going to church together, talking about God, and other things with one or more friends can both strengthen your relationship with each other and also with our Father.
In summary, watch out for who you call a friend. You will know your friends by their actions and make sure that Jesus is a primary factor in your friendships. I hope you got something meaningful out of this post. I am so happy I was brought back again and I hope to return again. Until next time, Peace and Blessings.