spiritual friendship...
posted by matt beres | | Posted On 10.07.2008 at 9:16 AM
i listened to a message by tim keller yesterday. it is significant - significant enough to blog about it...
a good talk - with good purpose.
the gospel doesn't only send you deeper into the heart of god, but it also sends you deeper into the heart of each other. you see, as christians we have (should have) a deep desire for relationship, or connection with each other. many times we try to deny this because it's too hard, too vulnerable, takes too much work, or you don't want to come across as needy. in reality, the need for each other and the desire to connect is a sign of spiritual health. if you're content to live on your own little island and not get messy in relationship with anyone there is a real, serious, spiritual problem.
i mean, think about it. in the beginning god created adam. adam had the most intensive devotional/quiet time with god, but for some reason god saw this as a problem. there was a real problem when adam only connected with god. so, god made eve. interesting, huh?
according to keller; friendship love is the hardest love to create and maintain. why? because there are no sociological or biological pressures - you can just walk away at any time. you see, you will forever be connected to your family through biology and our cultural family structures. you will forever be connected to your significant other because of hormones and biology. but, a friend is someone in which there is little to no pressure to connect.
why is friendship so hard? well, to be a good, deep friend it takes sharing. sharing a few important things in your life.
things. money, food, home, etc...
experiences. shared stories and experiences.
time. sacrifice an amount of time to invest in each other.
emotions. you have to share what you are feeling.
common interest. keller proposes that this is christ.
shared decisions. this is the decisions you make in your life that are important. exhortation - pressuring and pushing each other to grow.
bottom line. friendship is based on two people with the same goal in mind. spiritual friendship is based on two people worshipping the same lord.
how are you doing in the friendship area? we need each other. we were designed to need each other. are you allowing people to speak into your life and be deep friends?
a good talk - with good purpose.
the gospel doesn't only send you deeper into the heart of god, but it also sends you deeper into the heart of each other. you see, as christians we have (should have) a deep desire for relationship, or connection with each other. many times we try to deny this because it's too hard, too vulnerable, takes too much work, or you don't want to come across as needy. in reality, the need for each other and the desire to connect is a sign of spiritual health. if you're content to live on your own little island and not get messy in relationship with anyone there is a real, serious, spiritual problem.
i mean, think about it. in the beginning god created adam. adam had the most intensive devotional/quiet time with god, but for some reason god saw this as a problem. there was a real problem when adam only connected with god. so, god made eve. interesting, huh?
according to keller; friendship love is the hardest love to create and maintain. why? because there are no sociological or biological pressures - you can just walk away at any time. you see, you will forever be connected to your family through biology and our cultural family structures. you will forever be connected to your significant other because of hormones and biology. but, a friend is someone in which there is little to no pressure to connect.
why is friendship so hard? well, to be a good, deep friend it takes sharing. sharing a few important things in your life.
things. money, food, home, etc...
experiences. shared stories and experiences.
time. sacrifice an amount of time to invest in each other.
emotions. you have to share what you are feeling.
common interest. keller proposes that this is christ.
shared decisions. this is the decisions you make in your life that are important. exhortation - pressuring and pushing each other to grow.
bottom line. friendship is based on two people with the same goal in mind. spiritual friendship is based on two people worshipping the same lord.
how are you doing in the friendship area? we need each other. we were designed to need each other. are you allowing people to speak into your life and be deep friends?
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I love it when you quote Keller. :0)
Good thoughts Matt.