Experiencing The Resurrection With Friends 3/7/2018

Good Morning,

Now for sure that pot of Door County Red Velvet Mocha Coffee is going to warm me up and kick start my taste buds with a java delight.

Last night I was about my usual routine and went to the Men's Bible Study at church. We finished a study which has lasted a few months titled Experiencing The Resurrection. In the conclusion we studied and were reminded that a person must choose Jesus to gain a place in heaven or one denies Him and basically chooses hell as their eternal destination. The final chapter was very sobering and I highly recommend it as a good read.

Here is what I came away with for the night. After our Bible study the men as usual shared prayer requests and the prayer time was very good. We had dined on the Word of God and it was like prayer was our dessert. Before the study and after the prayer time there was some "guy banter" going on. It was like a bunch of brothers meeting and enjoying the company of each other. It felt good to be there. The conclusion I came to was that we came to meet with God and we did. We came to lift each other up and we did. We came for some talk and laughs and we did. Everyone in the room has family and the family knows that these guys meet on Tuesday, everyone comes home sober, they are better for having been there and no one condemns the friends we hang out with. We are in a safe place with good men. The Bible has something to say about hanging out with good friends. I have copied some verses for you to contemplate when making plans with friends.

1. Proverbs 12:26 The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
2. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
3. Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
4. Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal  and a brother is born to help in time of need.
5. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two people are better than one because together they have a good reward for their hard work. If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up.
6. Proverbs 18:24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
 
Good friends give wise counsel.
7. Proverbs 11:14 Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble; but with good counselors there is safety.
8. Proverbs 27:9 Ointments and perfume encourage the heart; in a similar way, a friend’s advice is sweet to the soul.
9. Proverbs 24:6 For through wise counsel you will wage your war, and victory lies in an abundance of advisors.

Good friends tell you what you need to hear rather than trying to flatter you.
10. Proverbs 28:23 Whoever rebukes a man will later on find more favor than someone who flatters with his words.
11. Proverbs 27:5 Open criticism is better than hidden love.
12. Proverbs 27:6 You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies want to hurt you, even when they act nice.
13. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

If your spouse is hanging around with good men or women, seeking the Lord, encourage  them to keep up the habit. It makes for a secure home in the Lord.

Marty