Knowing Christ

Philippians 3:8 

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

There is nothing in this world more important than knowing Christ. Our relationship to Christ is what really matters in life. We seek acceptance, pleasure, and happiness, but all is waste compared to winning the prize of eternal life with Christ. There are people that measure their worth by how many “likes” they get on social media, how many “friends” they can gain on Facebook. Yes, God made us with these desires. We all have a need to be wanted and accepted, but in reality, Jesus is all we need. He is our all in all. Without Him, it matter not who befriends us or what pleasures we experiences, they don’t compare to the love and friendship that Jesus can give us. In Him, we never walk alone, in Him we are never alone, in Him we can win the battle, and in Him we have eternal life.

He is a Friend

Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”-

Social media Facebook calls your list of connection, friends. The word is use very loosely to mean anyone that you might know or have met. My current list of “friends” is 717 people. Many of these are family members, students I taught, people I went to high school and college with, people I work with, neighbors I have known for a long time, and a host of Christian people I have known from my church affiliation over the years. Some of these people at one time were close friends that I have shared my heart with and have prayed for me during hard times. Time and distance has taken us down separate paths in life with different goals and aspirations. People change and the bond of friendship often loses their grip. Friendships are betrayed and choices are made to “unfriend” and break the bond of friendship. There are a few of these that I still consider close friends that I believe will always be there over the course of time. I cherish these friendships, but even those can change. But there is one friendship that will never change. Jesus, a friend who will stick with you no matter what happens in life. He will be with you in the dark times.  He is a friend who knows all about you, He knows your weaknesses and your strengths. He has your back when it looks like everyone else has forsaken you. He is a friend that only desires what is good for you, and will led you to a land unerring. “What a friend we have in Jesus, can we find a friend so faithful...who all our sorrows share..take it to the Him prayer”

Building Relationships

Luke 19:5b And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said unto him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.”-

Building relationships requires that we take time out of our busy schedule and spend time with others. Put off that project, clean the house another day, put down the cell phone and all the social media. All of these things have there place and are important in life. But there are times that we need to stop the train, get off and spend time getting to know people face to face. Jesus, took time to visit with Zacchaeus. He desires to sit and visit with this tax collector. It matters not who they are, everyone needs someone to know they care. In a day, where the demands of life press on, it is important that we take time out our lives to connect with people in a meaningful way. May we all be willing to put people first and build relationships that will be everlasting.