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true friendship
"A true friend stabs you in the front." [Oscar Wilde]
• When we’re young and living out our teenage years, a lot of our time is given over to impressing people through the things we buy, things we wear, things we say and the things we do. Pretty shallow isn’t it? After all, where does this actually get us in the grand scheme of things? Doesn’t seem to make us one bit like God.
• And social groups are such a big thing too; who we are seen to be friends with, who we know, which parties we’re invited to and who’s dating who...
• True friendship cuts through all of this, going deeper than mere social ‘niceties’. However, for friendship to get really revolutionary requires trust, maturity, accountability and honesty. Finding a really good Christian friend - one you can always rely on - isn’t always easy. Yet, pray for one! God knows that we need people to - as Oscar Wilde famously said - stab us in the front and not the back. We need those we trust to be honest about us and our behaviour, so that we can change and allow God to shape our character.
• Prayer life, worship and getting stuck into local mission are all vital to building character and helping us become more like Jesus. However, don’t overlook the power of a close friend’s words. Some of the most powerful turning points in your life might come through God speaking to you in the words of a close friend; the front-stabbing of honest words, not the back-stabbing of gossip.
• So, start praying and being revolutionary about your friendships this week. Of course, not every friend is going to be that special mate who you trust to question you honestly about your thought life, Christian behaviour or attitudes. Yet find one! Really seek out a close friend who you can be mutually accountable to, so both of you can become more like the people God created us all to be: images of his Son on earth.
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