BBD 06.26.07 Your Friend
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 300 wonderful people make up this
group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Be a part of the Burning Bush Community! Share prayer requests,
inspirational material, find help for addictions, and help others. Find out
more at the Burning Bush Community webpage:
http://www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=37647
Several devotional booklets are available for free download in PDF format at
the new site. Just click on the "Free Book Downloads" link.
The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 900 new subscribers since January 1, 2007!!
06.26.07
Your Friend
As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep
My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that
My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has
no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My
friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants,
for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you
friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to
you. - John 15:9-15.
We now have reason to believe that Bobby Cutts, Jr. killed his pregnant
girlfriend, Jessie Davis, along with the unborn baby. Cutts is being held on
a five million dollar bond. Prior to his arrest Cutts was working as a
police officer but he has now been suspended without pay. Sadly, Cutts'
situation is not the only one where someone has appeared to be living a
normal life with honorable employment but then like Cutts commits a
horrendous crime. In fact it appears that it is occurring at a more frequent
rate than ever before - almost a new one every week that is hitting the
national and international news.
Have you ever wondered if you were capable of doing some terrible thing? The
truth is that every person is capable of doing evil. We are told in Isaiah
53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his
own way.." In Romans 3:23, we read, "For all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God." I know that it is only the restraining power of God that
has kept me from doing some terrible thing.
None of us wants to bring embarrassment to our friends, family, or
community. None of us wants to intentionally hurt someone else. But the
truth is that life changing and life devastating decisions are often made in
the whim of an instant. The decisions of an instant have ruined many a life.
I pray most every day that God will keep me from being a fool and that He
will give me wisdom to make the right decisions.
There is, however, one thing that will keep you from doing some terrible
thing and at the same time propel you forward to your highest potential in
life. That one thing is to be a friend of Jesus. Jesus says in John 15:15,
"...I call you not servants...but I have called you friends."
I know why I am not in prison today for doing some terrible thing. It is
because I have a friend and that friend's name is Jesus. If we know Jesus as
our personal Savior He is our friend. Jesus says, "You are My friends if you
do whatever I command you." But even on the basis that we maintain human
friendships could Jesus call you His friend? If not it is time, past time to
take time to talk to your friend Jesus and renew this most vital of all
friendships.
Copyright © 2007. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi a young boy with cancer undergoing
chemo this week. Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on
the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and
they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am
always in need of prayer - please pray for me.).
If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org
Streaming Videos of some of my sermons are posted at:
http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html
There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.
You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.
You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.