Friends

Psalm 133:1-2
Behold, how good and how pleasant is it for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head. Running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron. Running down to the edge of his garments.

The Lord has blessed me beyond measure, and if I were to try and put them all down on paper, I fear that it would take longer than I have strength to do it.
Godly wife....
Godly family....
Being able to do what He has called me to do.
But in that list, I would have to put the blessing of being surrounded by some great friends. Friends? There's a word that we bandy about with much carelessness. In my own opinion, I have several acquaintances, but a small group of friends. 

Saturday night, I got to hang out with my friends.
We gathered for a meal before the service and as we sat there, I tried to take in the whole room. Much laughter and stories of what God had doing. Stories of what God was doing now and where we thought it might be headed.  You see, to me, friends that are united by the Spirit of God carry a bond that is not easily broken. They can be separated by months and miles, yet when they come together, they pick up as though they had never been apart. Those are the kind of people God has placed in my life. And I pray that I can be that kind of friend to them. 

Funny part about friends, I don't think you can ever have enough of them. So I'm always on the look out to find new ones and develop relationship with them. 

James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called "The Friend Of God".  What an incredible picture of God's love. To be called friend and also be the receiver of God's righteousness. God is the one who gives the word friend real meaning. God is the one who attaches great significance to building relationships that are grounded and founded upon that spiritual connection of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. The Holy Spirit is Power we need to live out this new life we have encountered and been blessed to receive.

The one thing that being a part of the Vineyard has taught me, is that friends love to hang out and worship God. They will do it at the drop of a hat. They will look for reasons to worship. We just love to gather and participate in a huge "I LOVE YOU, LORD!" time of singing and praying for one another. Such times as these are the fuel that sends us out to our respective corners of God's Kingdom to carry on His mission. To pray for each other daily. To pray for the sick, deliver the demonized, see those who don't know Jesus, freed from the bondage of sin and brought into salvation. That is what friends do, when the Spirit of God lives in them. We carry on the mission of Jesus. We "Do the Stuff". 

It was a great weekend of seeing Nori, Barbie, Doug and Joe. To catch up with all their stories and share our own. Somehow, I felt God's pleasure as we talked. I'm not sure, but I think I heard Him say, "Now those are my friends....those are my children."

God on you...
mb