ONCE A FRIEND

ONCE A FRIEND

I knew a man who followed God’s plan;

He was a friend, I thought, to the end.

But when things went not his way,

Sadly, he went astray.

Bitterness and trash-talk became his way,

Then and now and throughout the day.

But God is faithful, that I’m sure,

And will keep knocking on his door.

It seems a pity that many of his ties,

Instrumental to the bye and bye,

Have been severed in a disagreeable state, 

Driven by pride, insecurity and hate.

But He who is faithful will bring it to pass,

Romans 8:28 will triumph at last. 

In my   (In my case it’s probably 100 times.  LOL!) 

sermon, “The Holy Trinity – Meet the Father” (Revelation Study 40, ser3394), we addressed the faithfulness of God and how the Holy Spirit will speak to us more than once with something He wants us to know or do.

Friday morning I awakened with a word percolating in mind regarding “once a friend – no longer a friend.”  Recall, we established “God will confirm what he tells us via the Holy Scriptures.”  My Scripture reading for Friday was the book of Isaiah.  (I had just finished Song of Solomon.  Now, that’s an interesting book to say the least.  J )  This is what I read:

Hear, O heavens! Listen O earth!

For the LORD has spoken:

“I reared children and brought them up,

but they have rebelled against me. …

they have forsaken the LORD …

they have turned their backs on Him. 

Isaiah 1: 1-4 (selected)

We have all been there – poured our lives into someone(s) only to have them turn their backs on us and say hurtful and untrue things.  If we are not above our Master and He was betrayed, too, should we expect anything different?  Furthermore, He was perfect and we are not!  So, where do we find our comfort?  In that what we pour into others, and how we treat others, we first do UNTO GOD.  These are the two GREAT commandments -- love God and love others.   

The beauty is that Romans 8:28 is at work REGARDLESS of how a person responds to your friendship and love.  Trust and rest in Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20.  Isaiah 1:27 assures us that “Zion will be redeemed with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness.”  And the “willing and obedient will eat the best of the land.”  Isa 1:19