The last Christian Traits of Friendships
This morning one of my most favorite ministers was killed in an airplane crash along with his wife and daughter. He was Dr. Myles Munroe and I have many of his 69 books. This was what he preached concerning the length of our lives:
“The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation. You are not important because of how long you live, you are important because of how effective you live. And most people are concerned about growing old rather than being effective,” Munroe said.
“The people who have impacted the world didn’t live long. Martin Luther King. John F. Kennedy. These people who impact the world were not old people, but they lived so effectively that we cannot erase them from history,” he said.
Munroe frequently exhorted his congregation to live a life of purpose.
“You weren’t born just to live a life and to die, you were born to accomplish something specifically,” he said in that 2003 sermon. “Matter of fact, success is making it to the end of your purpose, that is success. … Success is not just existing, success is making it to the end of why you were born.”
In a different sermon, Munroe hammered home the importance of a life’s work.
“The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without a purpose,” he said.
Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie called Munroe “indisputably one of the most globally recognizable religious figures our nation has ever produced,” and said he was a man “who never hesitated to speak truth to power.”
Dottie and I took the Quinceaneras to the hotel. Gladys accompanied us because tomorrow night we will attend the university graduation of Billy.
Yesterday I shared these first 3 traits of a Christian friend.
John 15:13 says “Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friend”. The first trait I see is that a Christian friend loves sacrificially.
Secondly, in Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity”. This means we love unconditionally.
Third, Proverbs 18:24 “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”. So we should trust completely.
This forth trait is one people do not necessary enjoy. But for me it is critical. A true Christian friend keeps healthy boundaries. They are not clinging and constantly around. I Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy…”. I am a loner deep down. I can function in the ministry God gave to me. I can be around 100s of children daily and have them hang on me, pressure me, come for counseling, etc. People in the USA always feel they need to entertain us but we need “self” time. I am not being ugly. But space is the greatest gift anyone can give us.
Finally, a true Christian friend mutually edifies. It is wrong for me to be praised and edified when Casa is built on the love of hundreds of people throughout the years. Sure dottie and I came and God built Casa through us. But all He needed was a pair of faithful (not intelligent, not super spiritual people, not special) Christians. To give us more credit than that is to take the credit form the thousands who have helped financially or come to work and participate directly here with the children.
So it is important to have someone who loves you and edifies you spiritually, emotionally and physically. But not because it makes us FEEL good and we need the edification. It is a demonstration of recognition and nothing more.