Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin

Christian Friends Pray For Each Other

“The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:15-16)

Have you ever been a victim of a scheme where someone tried to get you to give them money for a promise? It is unfortunate that there are so many schemers today, robbing people of money for the empty promise of a prize, a financial windfall or even physical healing in a church setting, with false hopes of an improved life. God’s Word never tries to draw us in with false hopes or manipulate us to obey for a reward. The Lord does not need to make empty promises or use clever words to convince us to follow him. The Bible’s statements of fact are just that—dependable, reliable declarations of certainty—dependent upon God’s superior power and character. A prayer of true faith works because God works in it; the prayer of a believer has enormous power because the Holy Spirit inhabits our prayers. But there are many misinterpretations about the faith of a believer, which can lead us down a dark trail that ends up right back where it started—with our inadequate efforts. For example, Christian Scientists believe that the burden of healing is on the sick person, to have faith in their own faith. (1) This passage clearly shows that it is the Lord who will “raise up the sick person, through the prayers of the “righteous” believers. The faith mentioned is not that of the sick person, but that of the one praying. Do you want your friends to be healed of illness? Pray in the strength of Christ. Do you want your friends to know Jesus? Pray in his power.

Praying for physical or emotional healing is easy compared to praying for a friend who has possibly fallen into sin, because we’re all sinners. But thankfully, we don’t commit sins all the time, not even in our minds and hearts. When we do sin, we are commanded to confess our sin and repent.  Praying for a friend who may be sinning can help her repent, to be reconciled to God, healed, or be helped in other ways. If we are the ones who have hurt a friend with unkind, judgmental, or cutting words, we must confess our sin and pray for our friend. Yes, pray when we have been the one to sin, and pray when we have been hurt—praying “for one another.” And, having learned from Job’s friends, we must not make assumptions about our friends’ hearts and God’s work in their lives. Many commentators view the phrase “save the one who is sick” to mean that if (big “if”) the ill person is sick as a consequence of sin, prayer will be effective to bring him or her to repentance. (2) Our perspective should be that God is at work in them as he is in us.

Believers’ friendships are meant to be an integral aspect of our sanctification, so that we may become more holy through our associations. Nonetheless, true humility and vulnerability in friendships is not for the fainthearted. It takes courage to admit our faults and sins. By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins of commission (hurtful words and actions) and omission (our neglectfulness). How do you pray for your friends? How would you like them to pray for you? Are you willing to confess your sins to your friends so they can pray for you?

(1)  Christian Science does not teach that Jesus Christ is a Savior and misinterprets much of the Bible. It is very alluring to a determined person, which is probably one reason why I joined the cult before I came to true faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. For a brief, objective overview of Christian Science beliefs see http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/2001/06/what-christian-scientists-believe.aspx

(2) Geneva Study Bible, online edition, note on James 5:15, https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/geneva-study-bible/james/james-5.html

Tests for Christian Friends

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Today after church will you and your friends discuss the sermon? Or will you stick to socializing at lunch? Most of us don’t talk about God’s role in our lives, in our phone calls, shared meals out, or random, unexpected meetings. The other day at supper with my neighbors I mentioned that I had started praying for something that God appears to have resolved within five hours, not the two months I expected. I was very glad, thankful to God, and humbled. Two of my eight dinner companions were happy for me, and just nodded silently, then someone changed the subject. As I think back, I remember that someone mentioned that I deserved to “get everything I wanted.” I challenged his statement with the truth—that I am undeserving of anything, but my friend changed the subject, and our dialogue reverted to “proper” social conversation. Hopefully I will remember to speak of God’s work in my life today in my social settings.

Christians, like the righteous Job, are called to demonstrate our loyalty, faith, and reliance on Christ when we are suffering or living our ordinary daily lives. God’s work is always extraordinary, so even our common-place activities have meaning when seen from the Lord’s perspective. God initiated Job’s testing as he sometimes instigates ours (Job 1:7-8). “It is God, not Satan, who singles out Job for testing…Job is given the high calling of remaining true to God even when everything is taken away and grim suffering becomes his daily lot.” (1) Christ calls us his friends and entrusts us with the truth of His Word. If one of our friends is tested with a trial or difficulty, it is also our test of friendship and faith, as it was for Job’s friends. Like him, we should be ready to confront false doctrine or mistaken interpretations of God’s sovereignty, and his ordained sufferings and blessings. We have been given the truth, not for ourselves alone, but for the good of the kingdom of Christ. As we worship together, so should we discuss and help firm up each other’s faith and knowledge of the truth as iron sharpens iron.

Jesus demonstrated his friendship with Peter when he rebuked him for his worldly thinking about the Messiah—that he shouldn’t have to suffer and die. (Matthew 16:21-23) Allowing Peter to continue incorrectly viewing his mission would have hindered Jesus’s ministry by influencing others with good-intentioned but worldly philosophy. Perhaps Peter, like Job’s friends, believed that all suffering was the result of sin. Maybe knowing that Jesus never sinned, he couldn’t reconcile the idea that Christ would have to suffer and die. (3)

If we let false doctrine go unanswered, our silence will give approval to it and lead others astray. We are called to worship not only by attending church service today but by helping each other to apply the truth to our lives, with a biblical worldview. Growing in wisdom with our friends honors Christ, as he honors us with this high calling.

(1) The Reformation Study Bible, Reformation Trust Publishing, note on Job 1:7 and note from Introduction to the Book of Job(Sanford, Fl., 2015).

(2) ESV Study Bible Notes (digital edition), note on Proverbs 27:17 (Crossway, 2008)

(3) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/matthew-16.html

Biblical Friendships Aren’t Perfect—Job and His Friends

“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” (Job 2:11-13)

Job’s friends did not live in Uz; they would have heard about his troubles because Job was a man of influence and position. It took time for the news to reach them in the Arabia Desert, after which they met and traveled to Uz together to comfort Job. (Did they discuss Job’s “case” as they traveled?) By the time they reached him, Job’s sores were extensive and his suffering intense. (1) (2) He was so changed that they didn’t recognize him as they approached his spot on the ash heap. He had torn his robe, shaved his head, thrown ashes on his body that was covered in sores and was raw from scraping them. I can only imagine that they were relieved that they did not have to speak for seven days, following the strictest form of grief possible in the Near East. They allowed Job to speak first as the custom required the afflicted to break the silence. John Gill surmised reasons why Job’s friends may have been glad to be silent:  “…partly through the loss they were at concerning it, hesitating in their minds, and having some suspicion of evil in Job; and partly through the grief of their own hearts, and the vehemence of their passions…they knew not well what comfort to administer, and were fearful lest they should add grief to grief…” (3)

One thing is sure, his friends’ silence was effective in allowing Job to vocalize what he was experiencing—he wished he were dead or stillborn rather than suffer his present misery (Job 3). If I heard my friend say such things I might remain speechless since his suffering and pain was so great as to wish for death. Today we have medications to ease physical pain, but most of us have been with those who have been in tremendous emotional pain or shame so great that they wish for death. Words come with great difficulty. However, after Job broke the silence, Eliphaz seems to have no such trouble and immediately answered Job’s rhetorical questions with boldness and a subtle accusation. “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?… Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?” (Job 4:2, 6) Eliphaz’s audacity escalated to the point where he wrongly declared, “Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities.” (Job 22:5) Which friends like this, who needs enemies—right? Job, sure of his innocence, said, “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you.” (Job 16:1-4)

Have your friends hurt you with their good intentions? Have you done the same, just because you didn’t know what else to do? Forgiveness and patience are two critical characteristics of wise, godly friendships. Jesus, who suffered extraordinarily, exhibited both. The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us the ability to be compassionate and humble if we will only stop trying to fix our friends who need love, not a user’s manual. Pain requires sacrificial love and wisdom, the kind Job’s friends showed before they opened their mouths. We can learn so much from our friends who are suffering in God’s providence.

(1) The Reformation Study Bible, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Notes on Job 2:11-13, Sanford, Fl., 2015.

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Reformed Study Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/job-2.html

(3) Ibid.

Ruth & Naomi—BFFs in Christ

“Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.’ And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.” (Ruth 1:16-18)

I wonder what it would be like for a woman to know that she would have a book of the Bible named after her? In my imagination, Ruth is humble and would see herself as unworthy of the honor, which she is. After all, she only did what she was compelled to do, having come to faith in the Lord, most likely through her marriage to Naomi’s son. I wonder what David thought of his great-grandmother and her mother-in-law, Naomi. Did the women’s friendship influence David’s friendship with Jonathan? Perhaps. Ruth and Naomi’s hearts and souls were obviously knit together, though there is no direct mention of it in the Scripture. Somehow, by the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, Ruth knew that she would only find true Life with God’s people. She was prepared to be Naomi’s companion, to die with Naomi, and be buried with her.

Ruth knew what God’s favor looked like; she had discernment and attentiveness to his grace as she returned with Naomi to Bethlehem. She was able to comfort Naomi in her sadness and bitterness just by staying calmly by her side, ready to work to support them both. She saw the goodness of God, being allowed to glean from the edge of a field, under Israel’s law for sojourners. She was awed by Boaz’s warm hospitality. “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” (Ruth 2:13) While Naomi was at home (presumably), Ruth was in the fields, doing what was necessary to support them in their impoverished circumstances. Ruth protected Naomi from loneliness, desperation, and anxiety about their provisions. At the same time, Naomi offered Ruth a God who would never leave her, and bring her into the center of his will for his people, including her in the descendants of the Messiah.

When Naomi was ready to leave Moab to return home, Ruth begged her not to discourage their friendship (v. 16). And Naomi never did again, according to the short account of their life together. Are you fortunate enough to have a friend (who may be a family member) whom you’ve loved for decades? In the last several days I have spoken with some friends about the trouble our young people are having making friends of their own. We have especially noticed that high school students can barely name one close friend, in spite of being involved in many activities. What will they do when they graduate and move on to higher education or work? What does it take to make a friend, besides saying something like, “Would you like to get a cup of coffee or lunch together sometime? How about tomorrow?” What are you doing to make new friends or move to the next step with the friends you have? What might be hindering you from making friends who will support your sanctification and service to Jesus Christ?

Jonathan & David—Souls Knit Together in the Lord

“The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul….Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul…Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. the Lord is between you and me forever…David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever’…Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God…And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 18:1, 3; 20:17, 23, 41-42; 23:16, 18)

When I was about nine years old, I had an illness that kept me out of school for over two months. I fell behind in my reading skills, so my parents found a tutor–who became my father’s only and best friend. God used my illness to orchestrate this friendship, for which I am very grateful. Male friendships, like that between Jonathan and David are rare. Our present society would immediately disagree, pointing to the numerous love relationships between gay men. But close male heterosexual friendships can have a significant positive impact on a man’s life. The Bible tells us so.

Ny father and his friend did not have a friendship anywhere near as intimate as Jonathan and David. We first hear of their friendship in 1 Samuel 18, and the first thing we learn about their relationship is that Jonathan’s soul was united with David’s soul. Since this truth is repeated in 1 Samuel, so it captures our attention. I suppose that there are unbelievers who have had this experience, but I have only had it as a Christian. There are a few women friends whom I have loved immediately upon meeting them. Has my soul been “knit” to theirs like Jonathan’s was to David? I suspect not. It appears that Jonathan’s priority in his life from that moment became protection for David (1 Samuel 19:1-7; 20:1-42). Jonathan incurred his father’s jealous wrath toward him to shield his friend. I am hard pressed to find an equivalence to Jonathan’s brave actions on David’s behalf.

Jonathan also strengthened David spiritually, which is of great relevance to men and women today. It appears that very soon after meeting, Jonathan and David made a covenant of friendship based on their love for God. The essence of their agreement showed in their mutual trust and affection. Jonathan proactively reminded David of the fact that God was the One who would keep them together spiritually, even when they were separated geographically (20:23, 41-42). Jonathan also gave David the encouragement he needed by reminding him that God would strengthen him when he needed help (23:16). Perhaps God used Jonathan’s reminders when David was alone and frightened by the opposition. “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6).

Do you have a friend who strengthens you by reminding you about God’s love and strength? Will you pray for a close friend who can help you live for and grow in Christ?

A Friend of God

“Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend… I know you by name.” (Exodus 33:11, 17)

“The Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness—and he was called a friend of God.” (James 2:23)

“You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)

To be a Christian friend who loves others as God loves us, we first must be friends of Jesus Christ. Would you consider yourself an acquaintance, companion, or friend of God? An acquaintance is someone who only knows a person based on a brief encounter or through a joint work or ministry. An acquaintance of God might be someone who has met him in Scripture but is not engaged in a growing relationship. A Christian may perhaps be an acquaintance of God–who was called to faith in Christ and then put the brakes on rather than seek a deeper friendship. (Pastors and theologians, please feel free to weigh in on this comment; I welcome your guidance.) A companion of God is someone who spends time with him and knows his ways. This companion of God is most likely also his friend. However, it is possible to spend time with the Lord through Bible study, prayer, and service and not understand his character or doctrine properly. For example, many Christians today still struggle with the idea that their works are somehow necessary to hold onto their salvation, doubting the assurance of the Bible,  that they are saved by grace alone. “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)

But being a friend of God involves correctly understanding and loving his character and truths, as we love our closest, most intimate friend. To be the best possible friend to others, our relationship with Christ must be our most intimate one. The more we know him personally and theologically, the closer we become. When we are close to Jesus, through his revelation in Scripture, we have his discernment, wisdom, righteousness, joy, and love to share with others (John 14:14-15). Moses and Abraham knew God intimately because he chose them, just as God chooses Christians to know Christ. “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16)

John the Baptist was called by God to be a friend to the Bridegroom. “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” (John 3:28-29)

We become like the people with whom we spend time. Thus, our relationships with Jesus Christ have a direct bearing on our friendships with others. Being a wise, godly friend should become more comfortable and natural as we mature spiritually. Are you a friend of God, or more like a companion or acquaintance? How might you draw closer to Jesus as his friend?

A Friend in Good Times and Trials

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity… there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24b)

I don’t know how many friends you have, or whether you consider your friends closer than your family members. Perhaps you have friends whom you also consider your brothers or sisters in Christ. Maybe not. But there are close friendships described in the Bible which will serve as our models as true friends. This week we will consider the bonds of David and Jonathan, and Ruth and Naomi. But first, it is good to put aside any idea of what the world calls a buddy or a pal in favor of the biblical concept of someone who will lay down his life for you. Of course, our greatest friend is Jesus Christ, who literally died so that we may live, and did so (ironically) to ensure that we will live with him, even though he died. So from Jesus we learn, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13-14)  As with Jesus, circumstances or seasons of life do not change our affection and love for our friends—people for whom we would drop everything to help them in their times of adversities and celebrate with them in their blessings.

There is some debate about how to interpret the meaning of “brother” in Proverbs, and the difference between a friend and a brother. Is a brother a family member who feels he must help us in our difficulties and is therefore “born” or created for this purpose? Or, does “brother” refer to a close friend in Christ who will be there to help us? In 18:24 is our friend closer than a brother because they know us more intimately and therefore better able to help us, especially with our spiritual needs? Maybe we only need to see the big picture about biblical friendships. John Gill writes, “Friendship ought to be mutual and reciprocal, as between David and Jonathan…who is to a man as his own soul…and so are of one heart and soul, as Jonathan and David, and the first Christians, were; this is true of Christ, and may be expressive of the close union between him and his people, and of his close adherence to their cause and interest; and of his constancy and continuance as a friend at all times; and of his faithfulness and unchangeableness” *

Our ability to be true Christian friends to others lies in the power of the Holy Spirit who works in us to help us know, receive, and grow our friendship with our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, to the extent that the love we have for him overflows to others. On our own, we would not even care for our friends, let alone love them sacrificially. The Bible calls us to love others as the Good Samaritan loved the Jew utterly alone and destitute after a robbery. He forfeited his time, money, reputation, and journey to assist the victim in every possible way. His love was not emotional or sentimental, but active, decisive, intentional, and costly. Our friends do not interrupt our lives; they present us with opportunities to serve in the love of Christ.

Do you know if your friends need help today? Have you stayed in touch with them? Do you understand them with a godly love that penetrates beyond their superficial lives? As we begin considering wise, godly friendships, which people in your life will you be thinking about? In what ways would you like to be a better friend to them? Are you ready to be active, decisive, intentional about loving your friends, though it may cost you?

*John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/proverbs-18.html

What is a Friend?

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9)

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” (Helen Keller) There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” (Thomas Aquinas) “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” (Job 6:14) Job’s friends tried to walk with him in his darkness and offered him their best counsel. Unfortunately, they were inaccurate, judgmental, and mistaken in their doctrine—but at least they tried. Today definitions of friendship vary wildly. A friend may be someone you’ve just met, a long-time companion, an acquaintance or friend of a friend, or even someone you only interact with through social media. One thing is common, though, for all friends—they are people with whom we want to associate and spend time. But there are other specific qualities of friendship mentioned in Scripture and exhibited by God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments. Over the next few weeks, we will consider the characteristics of wise, godly friendships, to assess our qualities as friends and grow in the process.

Proverbs 27:9 describes a friend as one whose sincere guidance results in sweetness, like oil or perfume. We wear perfume or cologne for the sake of others, to give others a whiff of an attractive fragrance. In biblical times, and in some majority nations today, perfume is used to hide otherwise unpleasant body odor. It was also used to prepare bodies for burial (John 12:3). The oil described here was not priestly oil used to make offerings at the temple, but ordinary, scented oil that served a similar purpose and was usually applied to a person’s head. (1) Guests at someone’s home would be given some oil as they arrived, complementing the cleaning of their feet, dirty from walking long distances in sandals. This was common courtesy and a sign of friendship. It represents the way the Lord treats us as friends. “…you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5) When the prostitute entered the Pharisee’s house to anoint Jesus, she did so as his closest possible friend and worshipper in a hostile environment. (Luke 7:37-38) (2) She sweetly adored Jesus as only a true friend would, in contrast to the host and those who denied Jesus this cultural politeness (not being friends).

But Proverbs speaks of “earnest counsel,” trustworthy guidance and advice. Godly friends are those who have the Spirit, as we do, and is united to us in their souls. They are our Christian brothers and sisters, friends and family members who will be honest with us and give us good counsel. A biblical friend isn’t just someone who likes to do the same things we do or who sits beside us in church. A Christian friend will find us in our pain, as Job’s friends found him. She will stay beside us, pray with us, and offer the best possible advice. He will drop everything in an emergency to help us and rally others to do the same. They will remember to speak the gospel to us to lift us out of our pits when we fall and rejoice, thanking God with us in our celebrations.

We’re tempted to start evaluating our friends, aren’t we? I advise you not to go there but instead assess your ability to be a true, wise friend. The [best] way to have a friend is to be one. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

(1) JohnGill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/proverbs-27.html

(2) Roach, Jane, “The Woman Who Wiped Jesus’ Feet with Her Tears,” talk given at the Quakertown Women’s Conference, 2018, talks available at http://reformedresources.org/event/quakertown-womens-conference/

 The Family of Christ

“You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” (Acts 3:25-26)

I imagine that when the Jews in Jerusalem heard Peter’s speech, they felt emboldened in their faith as the chosen people of God. After all, Israelites were God’s “sons” of the prophets and the covenant with Abraham. In Romans, Paul writes, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.” (Romans 9:4-5) However, after offering the gospel to the Jews, it was time for the Gentiles to be invited into the family of God, even as Jesus engaged with non-Jews. (See John 1:11-13.) At the council in Jerusalem after Cornelius’ household came to faith, “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”’ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:46-48)

The definition of “sons of the prophets and the covenant” was radically changed when the Gentiles received the gospel by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, through the ministry of the Word of the apostles. The Jews believed, and continue to believe today that they are special, sanctified, and saved by being born into a Jewish family. The idea of “belonging” is very strong among the Jewish people, and is something to be emulated, although not in its exclusivity. But now, all who have been regenerated by God’s Spirit “belong to Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:23; Galatians 5:24) We also belong to each other; we are the family of God—the most important family in this world—more important than “families” of organizations, military troops, political teams, missionary teams, volunteer efforts, or any other social construct. The family of God is primary in the life of a Christian who understands that Jesus calls us to corporate faith, not just personal faith. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-16)

When we gather today with our most important family to worship today at church, let’s remember that they are our brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters in Christ. We need them, and they need us, to enjoy our calling to live out the gospel fully. Let’s plan to visit with our Christian family, get to know family members better, and especially take joy in worshipping together as we rest in Christ on the Sabbath, fellowshipping with meaningful gospel-centered sacraments, teaching, singing, and conversing.

Family Covenants, Part 3

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.” (Psalm 119:105-106)

“For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life…Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.” (Proverbs 6:23; 10:17)

“For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.” (Ecclesiastes 9:12)

Family covenants are not typical, but following Christ is also not typical—it is radical, costly, and challenging. In today’s world, merely keeping a family together for dinner is difficult, so how much more is having consistent devotions and close-knit time without devices or distractions? We should start when our children are young, building the good habit of meeting together to discuss beliefs, struggles, and encouragements. However, even if this never happened making and keeping a covenant with teens, youth, or as spouses will lead to shared spiritual growth, rather than spend time regretting the past.

Psalm 119 reminds us that God’s Word is the basis for our covenants because only Scripture will shed light on our dark paths. The writer has taken an oath to live by God’s holy statutes. No matter what resolutions we make or efforts we exert to obey God, we will fail, since we have no righteousness of our own. We are utterly dependent upon Christ’s holiness and the Spirit’s power to conform us to gospel grace and to agree with God. By taking a vow and somehow confirming it, the Psalms 119 writer agrees that accountability is profitable. Accountability is one of the primary benefits of a family covenant—it is the basis for recognizing spiritual growth, re-directing ourselves and our family members, and rebuking sin. Light is valuable because it overcomes the darkness, giving us the ability to see where we are going and turn around if we are off-course. I have a friend who is blind and comes to exercise when I am also working out. He usually knows where he is by the machines that are close to him. The other day, though, I could see that he was confused, so I told him which way he was facing and which machine was by his left hand. That was all he needed, to turn around, face the right direction, and move toward the door to go home. Scripture applied is what we need to see that we may be going the wrong way.

To use a covenant practically, the third section on “Practices” focuses on specific activities or behaviors that your family should keep. Examples include daily devotions with Bible study and prayer, eating meals together, going out together as a family at regular intervals, worshipping at church together, having family meetings, working out family problems and conflicts in a safe, biblical, confessional environment, etc. Covenant practices should be limited to a few. They may also include other people, such as neighbors, church members, or friends. A gospel-centered covenant will not pressure members to perform but draw individuals to Christ for forgiveness and help.

Ecclesiastes 9:12 wisely teaches us that evil will sometimes come upon us suddenly, perhaps in temptations, crisis situations, illness, or injury—so we must prepare ourselves. An established family covenant will provide a means to immediately engage and draw the family together then, rather than divide, which frequently happens in times of emergencies. Since “…the reproofs of discipline are the way of life…Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,” wouldn’t it be better to be prepared for the worst, depending on Christ’s wisdom and grace?