"he's not just my Pastor - he's more like a brother!"

“A FRIEND LOVETH AT ALL TIMES, AND A BROTHER IS BORN FOR ADVERSITY.” PROVERBS 17:17

“He’s not just my Pastor; he’s more than a friend; he’s more like a brother”; spoken to a church visitor, spoken about me, spoken by a member I did indeed count as a friend. Ironically, she quit the church that same week and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.

Those words, her voice have haunted me for the largest part of the past year. In spite of my resolve to move on, my heart aches when I think of the “friends” who have moved in and out of my life.

The truth is that I have been more fortunate than most. I do have friends who I have had all my life. I have friends, I do not see or speak to everyday, but the mere remembrance of them brings a smile to my face and encouragement to my heart. With a few major exceptions, most of them predate my ministry days and I suspect will be there when all I have shepherd have forgotten me.

We live in an egocentric world. We define love by “what’s in it for me?” We define commitment by our level of current contentment. Our relationships don’t last, our jobs don’t last, our marriages don’t last, our church memberships don’t last, our friendships don’t last; but we comfort ourselves saying, “It’s not me – it’s everyone else!”

Listen to how God defines friendship; “A FRIEND LOVETH AT ALL TIMES, AND A BROTHER IS BORN FOR ADVERSITY.” Do you understand there is NO SUCH THING AS A FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND? If you’re not down with me for the struggle, than you’re not down with me at all. (How’s that for modern lingo?)At a time when the first disciples were concerned about people quitting the “First Church of Jesus”, listen to what Jesus said, “THEY WENT OUT FROM US, BUT THEY WERE NOT OF US; FOR IF THEY HAD BEEN OF US, THEY WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE CONTINUED WITH US; BUT THEY WENT OUT, THAT IT MIGHT BE KNOWN THAT THEY WERE NOT ALL OF US” 1 John 2:19

Pastors around the world receive this devotion for encouragement, so please allow me to speak to you a moment; we all know the feeling of rejection that comes after you have poured your life into the lives of people only to have those people walk away (usually after they are better), any man or woman knows how we tend to depend upon the sweet counsel of friends; PROVERBS 27:9 says “THE HEARTFELT COUNSEL OF A FRIEND IS AS SWEET AS PERFUME AND INCENSE” , for your health, for the health of your family and for the health of your ministry, please realize we are going to experience only what Our Elder Brother has experienced before us. Hurt as it may, there is only one proper response, bless them, let them go in love.

At times, like this time for me; you will have no idea why you have been abandoned; you will be haunted by past promises of loyalty and commitment. We understand that the Bible says, “BEWARE WHEN ALL MEN SPEAK WELL OF YOU”, but yet each time we want to believe the expressions of love are sincere; remember the same people who welcomed Jesus later cried “crucify Him”, the very followers who proclaimed Him Lord and King, chose the ungodly Barabbas to live and condemned Christ to die, the same people who bowed before Jesus; some of whom he had healed, some, whom He had fed, most of whom He had invested His very physical life into later nailed Him to the cross,.

You will have many acquaintances throughout life and ministry, but very few friends indeed; you needn’t worry about which they are for in time they will reveal it to you themselves. “A FRIEND LOVETH AT ALL TIMES, AND A BROTHER IS BORN FOR ADVERSITY.” Cherish the few friends who come into your life; as I wrote some time ago; friendship is a sacred trust, when broken it offends both God and man. Amen!