Be In Fellowship With Godly Friends

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.’ (Proverbs 27:9)

Often, I hear of someone saying that ‘fellowship’ is not important, that it is not necessary to be in church to worship the Lord.  It is true, one does not have to be in church to worship, as one does not need to be baptized to receive Salvation.  However, the key to a growing relationship with Christ is to first be unashamed of your relationship with Christ by publicly announcing it through the ceremony of baptism, an outward, public expression of your internal, personal choice to accept Jesus as Lord and repudiate your sinful nature. 

Fellowship is sharing your love of Christ, your Faith and your knowledge of Him, to other Believers.  Together in unity we move forward in the Great Commission, and in that move forward we also gain friendships and support when we have issues, important when we have problems when we need a helping hand or at least a sounding board to gain advice or confirmation of our thoughts.

Fellowship, when it turns into friendship, is not just available for troubles but for mutual enjoyment.  It is often more fun to go as a group to do an activity, and its even greater when that group is friends with each other.  Whether the activity is to do work or to play and relax, it is often more enjoyable (and the burdens of work or play are distributed) among a friendly group.  When we worship together, knowing each other’s needs, we can focus our prayers and any God-inspired actions into specific, on-point responses that help answer the needs among the group.

Solomon in Proverbs 27 speaks predominately about the honesty of a good friendship.  A good friendship is like a pleasant smell; uplifting and soothing whether the day is good or bad.  But what does perfume and incense do?  They help to alleviate other smells, sometimes ones that are not so pleasant.  They don’t get rid of those smells, but they help in toning it down.  In times of trouble, a friend’s encouragement can help provide focus on what is causing the issue at hand. 

Joy is not always happiness; a good friend can help focus on the blessings the Lord has provided in the midst of trouble, perhaps it’s a car that has broken down.  A good friend shows you the blessing is owning a car to break down which is fixable or replaceable.  A good friend may also be able to lend you a car while your car is in the repair shop. 

We often look at our problems with a narrow lens – our world is collapsing around us!  But usually when we can counsel with a friend, we often find our problems are not as bad as they seem.  A couple of years ago, an old friend of mine called; he was losing his job, and his wife just received a diagnosis of cancer.  He was of course distraught over everything going south at the same time.  I told him to first remember his Faith and Trust he had in our Lord.  I counseled him on the practical aspects of his situation, to take stock of what he needed.  He would have access to his company’s health insurance through COBRA, look at what it would cost to extend it to cover his wife’s treatments. 

I encouraged him to develop a plan to see what he would need to pay bills, what assets he had that he could sell or cash in, and look at some bills that could be eliminated until he found another job.  He calmed down, came up with a plan and ended up in a better situation (with bills he was able to pay off, and he eventually, in a short amount of time, found a better job, with better pay, and with similar insurance before his termination date) after he and his wife prayed.  He simply needed to have someone help him focus on what the problem really was and have him remember that God is in control. 

When things are smelling good, perfume and incense can add to the ambiance, just like a good friend when times are good.  Having good fellowship can add to pleasant situations, like when the women in our Life Group get together in some number to go on an adventure, like going on a weekend road trip or a day of shopping at the local stores.  It’s not that any one of them individually would not have a good time on their own, but going together as a group makes their weekend much more special. 

The group together adds joy (and happiness) to the experience by the ability to share this adventure with each other.  So don’t hesitate to see an old friend, or to give them a call, or to reach out to your friends when in despair or trouble.  You may be the one to help them get out of a pickle, or to get them over the top!