Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Friendships


That was the theme at the Harvest Bible Chapel’s Women’s Retreat last weekend.  Amy Baker, counselor at Faith Biblical Counseling Center in Lafayette, IN, challenged us to look objectively at our friendships and discern our motives.

View from the porch of our condo at Gull Lake
She described the following Friendship Orientations. For most of us this weekend, we began to fall into either Approval or Control Oriented.

Approval Oriented                   
Control Oriented
Protection Oriented                 
Rightness Oriented
Pleasure Oriented                    
Comfort Oriented          
Prestige Oriented

I began to ask myself…
Do these things categorize me and my relationships??
More importantly, what am I willing to sacrifice in order to attain them?

Do I want to be accepted?
Do I want to be in control?
Do I want to protect myself?
Do I want to be the standard of what is right?
Do I want to be entertained?
Do I want comfort and ease?
Do I want to be part of the in-group?

I think, in part, I want all of those things… but how much of those things are simply part of us as humans?

How many times do I sacrifice transparency and genuineness so I can be accepted, in control, avoid hurt, be right, entertained, comfortable, or be in the in-group?

Do I value approval, control, protection, being right, entertainment, comfort, and being popular more than what God says about those things? 

Taking up my cross and doing radical hard things will take away my control, will make me stand out, may cause me to be hurt, will definitely make me uncomfortable, and I probably won’t have the in-group’s approval.

Am I willing to go that far?  Is Jesus worth it?

If it costs my life and the life of my family, will following Jesus be worth THAT?   
Yes. Yes! YES!!

If you are not a follower of Jesus
but you’re considering it, count the cost.
Because it WILL cost you.  Everything.  Even friendships.

Your life will never be the same because He will radically transform you.
Do not follow Christ blindly – know the cost.
His demands are high – and rightly so.  He died.  For you.
You owe Him every breath for all of eternity. Every moment belongs to Him.

For those of you who follow Jesus, LIVE like you do.

Sunrise Saturday Morning!
Every word, every action, every thought, every single moment is observed and cared about by the Sovereign God who paid your debt.  Your moments are also observed by those around you who are their own masters - who do what is right in their own eyes. 

We are to be different because we have been bought with a price.

This weekend, I was challenged by Luke 6:39-46.

What am I using my time for?
Who am I following?
Am I taking my own log out?
What kind of fruit do I have?
What kind of treasure is coming out of my mouth?


Bottom Line: Is your life, my life different?  What needs to change?

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