Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Friends,

I’ve had a burden lately for those who are far from God.  My heart hurts for those who know God, know they are a sinner, are broken over that, but unsure what to do.  Often times, we try to satisfy our soul’s needs and longings in the most expedient way possible, patching them with whatever is readily available, rather than what God has provided.  I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and I still fight against that.  One of the most common ways I find myself drifting from God, is by surrounding myself with people who are far from God themselves.  When my close friends are not battling with me to grow closer to God, I have lost the joy of relationships God meant for me to have.

Man was not made to be alone – we see that from the very beginning of creation in Genesis 2:18 – “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”  Certainly God had in mind marriage, the most important of all relationships for someone – but at our core, we were made for relationships – we yearn for good friends and fellowship, to be known, cared for, and loved.  This is because we were made in the image of God – who although One God, exists in three persons in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  These three were created to perfectly know one another, perfectly serve one another, and perfectly love one another.

So relationships are good as they were designed by God, why then does proverbs say “a man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”  This is because, we want to be accepted without judgment, we want to feel loved, and sadly, we believe that the best way we can do that, is by surrounding ourselves with people who will accept and perhaps even encourage sin in our life.  So we have relationships with people who instead of pushing us closer to God, simply make us feel “comfortable” about the sin in our life.  These can be friendships, romantic relationships, or even marriages.  These types of “companions” that surround a person, may lead a person away from God completely.  The reality is that sin is not without consequence, not just before God, but here, now, in the world, sin leads to brokenness, shame, isolation, depression, and a host of other painful things.  Why would we want to deaden our soul to feel “comfortable” in that, when God has a better plan for our lives?

Like most issues of the heart, the gospel of Jesus is the answer.  Do you believe that Jesus accepts you today, fully, even with all your junk and sin you’re still struggling with?  Most of us have a hard time with that.  Most of us believe we’re letting Jesus down, and He can’t love us like we are – but that’s not the gospel.  The gospel of Jesus says, that “God shows is love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8)  There’s not a “better version” of you, that God will delight in.  Jesus knew your sin – past, present, and future, and paid for it all on the cross.  The Holy Spirit quickened your heart to believe on Jesus for salvation, and “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39).  That is the gospel of Jesus.  That is God’s Truth.  You are fully known (better than you know yourself) by God, and perfectly loved by Him, because “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself” (2 Cor 5:17-18)

God’s plan for our close relationships is to surround us with people who share in God’s Truth.  People who do not care what sin you’ve fallen to, they will press you into the gospel and towards God.  There is no judgment in these friendships, because the judgment fell on Christ.  They will remind you – Jesus paid for all your sin, mourn the sin in your life, but know that you are redeemed – walk like a son or daughter of God, because that is who you are.  They’ll finish by saying, guess what, if you’re in the same position tomorrow, I’m going to say the same thing to you.  They are there to model the companionship that exists within God, they do not leave you when you fall, they love you ahead of their own good, and they want the best for you.  Sadly in the modern church where church discipline is gone, daily fellowship is gone, and there is a portion of body of Christ that is simply there for cultural reasons, it can be difficult to find truly gospel centered friendships.  It’s much easier to find friends and relationships with people who won’t talk with you about God, especially not in a way that would challenge you.  Don’t settle for that.  It’s worth the effort – even if you find one friend who will love you the way God intends His love to be modeled out from the gospel, it’s worth it.

If you’re far from God today, know that God loves you right where you are.  Before you move on, just press God’s word and the gospel truth back into your heart, and settle it – As you believe on Jesus, know that He loves you, He has redeemed you – it’s done.  You’re completely pure, perfect, and righteous.  You have the perfect righteousness of Christ clothing you, that is what God sees today, right now, when He sees and thinks about you.  Part of God’s love for you, is that He’s given you means to grow closer to Him for your joy.  That is primarily through His Word, through prayer, and through gospel-centered relationships with other Christians.  Those friends, will stick closer than a brother, they will be with you, loving and encouraging you every step of the way, because they know you’ve been redeemed already, as they have.  If you don’t have that, pursue it through the Church; reach out to me if I can help in any way.  Life will always bring trials, and sin is present to tempt us away from God every day.  We have an enemy trying to take us down every day “though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”  (Eccl 4:12)

Know you’re loved and prayed for.

Grace and Peace,

Adam