JOHN 15.13-15
13.’’Greater love hath no man than this, that a man may lay down his life for his friends
14. You are my friends; if ye do whatsoever, I command you
15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth, but I have called you friends; for all things I have heard of my father I have made known unto you’’.
JAMES 2.23
‘’And the scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God’.
‘’Friendship is born at the moment
when one person says to another ‘’what! You too? I thought I was the only the
one’’. C.
S. LEWIS
‘’Don’t walk behind me, I may not
lead. Don’t walk in front of me: I may not follow, just walk beside me and be
my friend’’. Albert
Camns
‘’It is not lack love, but a lack
friendship that makes unhappy marriages’’ Friedrich
Nietzsche
‘’It is the friends you can call up
at 4 am that matter’’ Marlene
Dietrich
‘’A friend is one that knows you as
you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and
still gently allows you to grow’’.
William
Shakespeare.
Allow me to say these words that come
to my heart on Monday 12th November 2012 at 06.28am
‘’Salvation is not an ornament to be secured in a treasure, rather a tool for daily assignment. It is not a bald head to be covered from the scorching sun, but an airport for the landing of both small and small aircrafts. It therefore has to be commercially constructed and routinely [daily] maintained. It is not meant for safe landing but to sustain you in the atmosphere as you soar on high’’. Geoffrey Douglas Otuko
Your friends are the sublime summary
of yourself if you have any
Who is your friend and do you know
them?
Some cling to you because of what
benefits they draw from you. Outwardly you dance with them, but inwardly they
strange bed fellows
You can profess to be a friend but
not posses friendship
Who is a friend?
It is one joined to another in the intimacy
and mutual benevolence independently of sexual or family love.
A friend is a:-
1.
Sympathizer
2.
Helper
3.
Patron
There two classes of friends:-
1.
Good and bad friends
2.
False and true friends
What kind of friend are you or who do
they say you are?
Being a good friend is not just about
having some good time with others.
It is also about how willing you are
to put your friend’s interests before yours
Or point out when they are doing
things you do not agree with
Characteristics of a friend
1.
A
good listener
Jesus listened to his disciples
He did listen to the Samaritan woman
John 4
Jesus listened to the woman caught in
the act of adultery John 8.4
2.
He is approachable
‘’And their nobles shall be of
themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will
cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that
engaged his heart to approach unto me? Saith the lord
3.
He is trustworthy.
Proverbs 11.13 A tale bearer
revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter
Are you reliable as a confidant? Or
you are the type who says nikwambie na usi ambie mtu. Hii ni siri yangu na wewe
4.
Avoids gossiping about others
Proverbs 16.28 A froward man soweth
strife: and a gossiper separates chief friends.
The guiding principle here is that I
must reduce and Jesus increase. No michuzi ya chini kwa chini
Surrender to Jesus and learn to be at
his mercy at all times, not some times
5.
Is selfless and not selfish
This is exactly what Abraham thrived
on to be called a friend of God
Kuchitolea si rahisi you will be
called names, pretender, anajipendekeza etc.
How less are you of yourself?
People are so full of self whenever
given an opportunity to speak they are just good at playing their own drums.
Stop being the manager of your life
and allow Jesus room to manipulate you.
6.
Sensitively tells a friend what you
really think
Many friends are not genuine
They play hide and seek with the
truth
And some of us truth is elusive on
our paths because we cannot stand it
In fact many Christians tell them the
truth and the friendship just melts away.
Question do you deserve any truth?
And what relevance do you bring to
any relationship
Many friendship have died simply
because it was skewed towards one side
Say the contrary and you are divorced.
It is time we stopped this beauty
based gospel
The scales have to be scrapped pain
felt and cleanliness attained
Friends, tuwache kudanganyana!
Qualities of a good friend
1.
Takes a genuine interest in others
John 15.14 ‘ Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you’.
Here there is no choice, want to be
on the winning side, play ball
2.
Is a Giver not taker
1Sam18.3-4 ‘Then Jonathan and David,
made a covenant, because, he loved him as his soul. And Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, and his garments,
even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle’’.
John 15.13 ‘Greater love hath no man
than this, that he lay down his life
Friends.
If Jesus did it who are you?
Why are some of us so mechanical that
bowing to Jesus is an issue and if it is a deal we talk in low tones so long as
you are alone
This is how shallow our minds
One thing I dare say ‘’be sure your
sin will catch you’’!
3.
Loyalty
The best example is that of Jonathan
and David in 1Sam 18.1-4
By this I don’t mean bending rules in
favor of some and others have to follow protocol.
This is one the areas when we get to
heaven some of us will be given the best shanty ever found here on the planet
and the people we despised get mansion
Loyalty is no license to feeling BIG
SYNDROME
I deserve special gifts and others
deserve crumbs, because I am better positioned, more qualified than them
Does your friendship show through
your loyalty or vise versa?
4.
Be positive
This is a very rare gem
Most of us are very skeptic
Just ask us how the elections will
turn out and you will hear all the un-orthodox answers in this world.
And here I am talking about believers
Where are the Elijahs that called
fire from heaven and it came?
The Joshua’s who commanded the sun
and it stood still?
Friends it is time we ceased being
jokers and became fully BELIEVERS!
5.
Appreciate the difference in others
Jesus’ disciples was a mixed crop
He believed in diversity
There were tax collectors, fishermen and
even doctors
Variety is the spin of life
God created different personalities,
talents and interests.
Each of us is special; together as a
blend we form the body of Christ.
There is no Mr. /Mrs. special or
better endowed.
1Corinthians 12.18-25 best captures
this principle
Along with variety of personality
comes variety of faults
Colossians 3.13 ‘forbearing one
another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even
as Christ forgave you, so also do ye’’.
6.
Build on common interests
John 15.14 ‘’ ye are my friends if ye
do what I command you’’.
Common goals objectives, drives and
passions draw similar characters together.
What is it the draws you to your
friends?
Are you a parasite or a symbiotic?
Tuwache urafiki wa unyonyaji!
Doing what I have been commanded by
my commanding officer is what common interest is all about.
By the way salvation is not about
myself, but how much the common blood of Jesus, his forgiveness, grace and
favor is achieving daily in my life.
What drew you to Jesus?
Healing, wife, a job
What is it?
Can you objectively point out?
These are good questions to ask
ourselves!
7.
Be open, Honest and Real, not a
malingerer
John15.16 ‘ Jesus said you have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you , that ye should go and
bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask
of the father in my name, he may give you’’.
Pretenders, joy riders pace setters
and bench warmers are not invited!
Good friendship is Genuine, without
ill feelings or even hard feelings.
Friends and I mean friend are not
envious of the success of their buddies only pretenders do and they are so many
in the church today.
People are missing heaven not that
they have not heard the word but simply by looking the other side.
This is a true saying
You cannot be a good/ enviable couple
if you are first not good friends
And this you can take to the bank
No wonder the government has decided
to marry some of us by force.
Because people are very crafty,
looking for the closest narrow bend to break
It is time you decided on the caliber
of your friendship with Jesus
This is not a chance game, BONYEZA
USHINDE.
Here faith and not feelings have to
be seen to be at work!
James 2.23
And the scripture was fulfilled which
saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and
he was called the Friend if God.
Notice that word friend has a capital
F.
LAYING EMPHASES ON HOW SERIOUSLY God
took that relationship to be.
May you become a better friend from
this hour!
May the history records be written
bearing your name that you became Friends with God in you home, work place and
even church?
Friends are built out of character
Character is who you are when those
who know you are absent and you are your real self
Some one said
When Wealth is lost Nothing is Lost
When Health is Lost Something is Lost
But when Character is Lost Everything
is Lost
Character is funny it camouflages sin
It insulates sin so that sin cannot
be seen
Analyze what your friends think about
you, Think about you and Enjoy doing
Most our decisions are influenced by
our friends
If your mother cannot speak well
about you, it does not matter what we do hear from other quarters.
I wish we had CCTV in every area of
our lives and see how many of us could fair when a replay is done.
The Strength of character may be
obtained at work but the beauty of character can only be learnt at home
Friends are a gem, not everyone will accept
you the way you are. Most would love to micro-manage you.
But you are unique with your
strengths, failures, weaknesses, stature etc.
Friendship is a choice. James 4.4-5
Do not take for granted the grace God
has given to your friends for them to humble before you
Some could be very great people, but
because of humbling you are able to grow together
It therefore follows that there is no
room for arrogance, pride etc.
Remember today you are hear and like
a flower, tomorrow you are dried up
As you sit down here this morning,
think about this:-
1.
Of these qualities what is my match?
2.
Have I been a true friend or a
camouflaged one?
3.
Do I contain friendship material?
4.
What are the areas in my life do I
need to start working on right?
5.
Do I qualify to be called a friend of
God?
Proverbs 16.7
‘’When a mans’ ways please the Lord,
he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him’’
Jesus is the only friend that appears
when the whole world is closed on you as happened with Daniel’s friends in the
furnace.
He appeared there as the forth person
rendering recognition even to the pagan ruler.
Has he been evident in your life to
the outside world?
This one you can ably answer.
And like God friends are not statues,
they speak either way into our lives.
And
may Jehovah add blessings to his word
Amen!!
Pastor Geoffrey Douglas
Otuko
Monday 12th
November 2012
20.16hrs
FRIENDS WHO ARE THEY
AND WHAT ARE THEY?
JOHN 15.13-15
13.’’Greater love hath no man than this, that a man may lay down his life for his friends
14. You are my friends; if ye do whatsoever, I command you
15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth, but I have called you friends; for all things I have heard of my father I have made known unto you’’.
JAMES 2.23
‘’And the scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God’.
‘’Friendship is born at the moment
when one person says to another ‘’what! You too? I thought I was the only the
one’’. C.
S. LEWIS
‘’Don’t walk behind me, I may not
lead. Don’t walk in front of me: I may not follow, just walk beside me and be
my friend’’. Albert
Camns
‘’It is not lack love, but a lack
friendship that makes unhappy marriages’’ Friedrich
Nietzsche
‘’It is the friends you can call up
at 4 am that matter’’ Marlene
Dietrich
‘’A friend is one that knows you as
you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and
still gently allows you to grow’’.
William
Shakespeare.
Allow me to say these words that come
to my heart on Monday 12th November 2012 at 06.28am
‘’Salvation is not an ornament to be secured in a treasure, rather a tool for daily assignment. It is not a bald head to be covered from the scorching sun, but an airport for the landing of both small and small aircrafts. It therefore has to be commercially constructed and routinely [daily] maintained. It is not meant for safe landing but to sustain you in the atmosphere as you soar on high’’. Geoffrey Douglas Otuko
Your friends are the sublime summary
of yourself if you have any
Who is your friend and do you know
them?
Some cling to you because of what
benefits they draw from you. Outwardly you dance with them, but inwardly they
strange bed fellows
You can profess to be a friend but
not posses friendship
Who is a friend?
It is one joined to another in the intimacy
and mutual benevolence independently of sexual or family love.
A friend is a:-
1.
Sympathizer
2.
Helper
3.
Patron
There two classes of friends:-
1.
Good and bad friends
2.
False and true friends
What kind of friend are you or who do
they say you are?
Being a good friend is not just about
having some good time with others.
It is also about how willing you are
to put your friend’s interests before yours
Or point out when they are doing
things you do not agree with
Characteristics of a friend
1.
A
good listener
Jesus listened to his disciples
He did listen to the Samaritan woman
John 4
Jesus listened to the woman caught in
the act of adultery John 8.4
2.
He is approachable
‘’And their nobles shall be of
themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will
cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that
engaged his heart to approach unto me? Saith the lord
3.
He is trustworthy.
Proverbs 11.13 A tale bearer
revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter
Are you reliable as a confidant? Or
you are the type who says nikwambie na usi ambie mtu. Hii ni siri yangu na wewe
4.
Avoids gossiping about others
Proverbs 16.28 A froward man soweth
strife: and a gossiper separates chief friends.
The guiding principle here is that I
must reduce and Jesus increase. No michuzi ya chini kwa chini
Surrender to Jesus and learn to be at
his mercy at all times, not some times
5.
Is selfless and not selfish
This is exactly what Abraham thrived
on to be called a friend of God
Kuchitolea si rahisi you will be
called names, pretender, anajipendekeza etc.
How less are you of yourself?
People are so full of self whenever
given an opportunity to speak they are just good at playing their own drums.
Stop being the manager of your life
and allow Jesus room to manipulate you.
6.
Sensitively tells a friend what you
really think
Many friends are not genuine
They play hide and seek with the
truth
And some of us truth is elusive on
our paths because we cannot stand it
In fact many Christians tell them the
truth and the friendship just melts away.
Question do you deserve any truth?
And what relevance do you bring to
any relationship
Many friendship have died simply
because it was skewed towards one side
Say the contrary and you are divorced.
It is time we stopped this beauty
based gospel
The scales have to be scrapped pain
felt and cleanliness attained
Friends, tuwache kudanganyana!
Qualities of a good friend
1.
Takes a genuine interest in others
John 15.14 ‘ Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you’.
Here there is no choice, want to be
on the winning side, play ball
2.
Is a Giver not taker
1Sam18.3-4 ‘Then Jonathan and David,
made a covenant, because, he loved him as his soul. And Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, and his garments,
even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle’’.
John 15.13 ‘Greater love hath no man
than this, that he lay down his life
Friends.
If Jesus did it who are you?
Why are some of us so mechanical that
bowing to Jesus is an issue and if it is a deal we talk in low tones so long as
you are alone
This is how shallow our minds
One thing I dare say ‘’be sure your
sin will catch you’’!
3.
Loyalty
The best example is that of Jonathan
and David in 1Sam 18.1-4
By this I don’t mean bending rules in
favor of some and others have to follow protocol.
This is one the areas when we get to
heaven some of us will be given the best shanty ever found here on the planet
and the people we despised get mansion
Loyalty is no license to feeling BIG
SYNDROME
I deserve special gifts and others
deserve crumbs, because I am better positioned, more qualified than them
Does your friendship show through
your loyalty or vise versa?
4.
Be positive
This is a very rare gem
Most of us are very skeptic
Just ask us how the elections will
turn out and you will hear all the un-orthodox answers in this world.
And here I am talking about believers
Where are the Elijahs that called
fire from heaven and it came?
The Joshua’s who commanded the sun
and it stood still?
Friends it is time we ceased being
jokers and became fully BELIEVERS!
5.
Appreciate the difference in others
Jesus’ disciples was a mixed crop
He believed in diversity
There were tax collectors, fishermen and
even doctors
Variety is the spin of life
God created different personalities,
talents and interests.
Each of us is special; together as a
blend we form the body of Christ.
There is no Mr. /Mrs. special or
better endowed.
1Corinthians 12.18-25 best captures
this principle
Along with variety of personality
comes variety of faults
Colossians 3.13 ‘forbearing one
another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even
as Christ forgave you, so also do ye’’.
6.
Build on common interests
John 15.14 ‘’ ye are my friends if ye
do what I command you’’.
Common goals objectives, drives and
passions draw similar characters together.
What is it the draws you to your
friends?
Are you a parasite or a symbiotic?
Tuwache urafiki wa unyonyaji!
Doing what I have been commanded by
my commanding officer is what common interest is all about.
By the way salvation is not about
myself, but how much the common blood of Jesus, his forgiveness, grace and
favor is achieving daily in my life.
What drew you to Jesus?
Healing, wife, a job
What is it?
Can you objectively point out?
These are good questions to ask
ourselves!
7.
Be open, Honest and Real, not a
malingerer
John15.16 ‘ Jesus said you have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you , that ye should go and
bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask
of the father in my name, he may give you’’.
Pretenders, joy riders pace setters
and bench warmers are not invited!
Good friendship is Genuine, without
ill feelings or even hard feelings.
Friends and I mean friend are not
envious of the success of their buddies only pretenders do and they are so many
in the church today.
People are missing heaven not that
they have not heard the word but simply by looking the other side.
This is a true saying
You cannot be a good/ enviable couple
if you are first not good friends
And this you can take to the bank
No wonder the government has decided
to marry some of us by force.
Because people are very crafty,
looking for the closest narrow bend to break
It is time you decided on the caliber
of your friendship with Jesus
This is not a chance game, BONYEZA
USHINDE.
Here faith and not feelings have to
be seen to be at work!
James 2.23
And the scripture was fulfilled which
saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and
he was called the Friend if God.
Notice that word friend has a capital
F.
LAYING EMPHASES ON HOW SERIOUSLY God
took that relationship to be.
May you become a better friend from
this hour!
May the history records be written
bearing your name that you became Friends with God in you home, work place and
even church?
Friends are built out of character
Character is who you are when those
who know you are absent and you are your real self
Some one said
When Wealth is lost Nothing is Lost
When Health is Lost Something is Lost
But when Character is Lost Everything
is Lost
Character is funny it camouflages sin
It insulates sin so that sin cannot
be seen
Analyze what your friends think about
you, Think about you and Enjoy doing
Most our decisions are influenced by
our friends
If your mother cannot speak well
about you, it does not matter what we do hear from other quarters.
I wish we had CCTV in every area of
our lives and see how many of us could fair when a replay is done.
The Strength of character may be
obtained at work but the beauty of character can only be learnt at home
Friends are a gem, not everyone will accept
you the way you are. Most would love to micro-manage you.
But you are unique with your
strengths, failures, weaknesses, stature etc.
Friendship is a choice. James 4.4-5
Do not take for granted the grace God
has given to your friends for them to humble before you
Some could be very great people, but
because of humbling you are able to grow together
It therefore follows that there is no
room for arrogance, pride etc.
Remember today you are hear and like
a flower, tomorrow you are dried up
As you sit down here this morning,
think about this:-
1.
Of these qualities what is my match?
2.
Have I been a true friend or a
camouflaged one?
3.
Do I contain friendship material?
4.
What are the areas in my life do I
need to start working on right?
5.
Do I qualify to be called a friend of
God?
Proverbs 16.7
‘’When a mans’ ways please the Lord,
he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him’’
Jesus is the only friend that appears
when the whole world is closed on you as happened with Daniel’s friends in the
furnace.
He appeared there as the forth person
rendering recognition even to the pagan ruler.
Has he been evident in your life to
the outside world?
This one you can ably answer.
And like God friends are not statues,
they speak either way into our lives.
And
may Jehovah add blessings to his word
Amen!!
Pastor Geoffrey Douglas
Otuko
Monday 12th
November 2012
20.16hrs
No comments:
Post a Comment