Spiritual Development September 2018
What a Friend We Have In Jesus
So what do you do, where do you run, what do you tell yourself, or how do you respond when, in this broken world, you are left alone? In some way, it happens to us all. Made to live in community with God and with one another, we find ourselves alienated and alone. Such aloneness cuts deep and hurts a lot precisely because we were designed to be social beings. We were made to live in self-sacrificing love and peace with one another. Harsh words, disloyal acts, slanderous intentions, and violent moments were never supposed to infect and destroy the community for which we were made. But immediately after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, tension and accusation erupted in their relationship, and then it became really bad really fast. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, murdered his brother in a fit of sibling jealousy. Since sin has infected our world, wrong infects our relationships. It shatters the community God intended us to live in and leaves many of us alone. This aloneness takes many forms:
- Friends turn their backs on friends.
- Husbands and wives divorce.
- Neighbors move away.
- Employees get fired.
- Children reject their parents.
- Churches divide.
- Problems of life carve a gulf between us.
- Friends and relatives lose contact.
- Old age leaves us lonely.
- Death takes dear ones from us.
Yes, somewhere in your life, you will be left alone. But it is in this experience of aloneness that you must remember the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus captured the relational beauty of this in his own life when, as he faced death, he said to his disciples: “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me” (John 16:32). Yes, people and circumstances leave you alone. Yet, it is impossible for one of God’s children to be completely alone, because we have a Father in heaven who is always with us and who will not leave us, no matter what. Remind yourself today that, as God’s child, no matter how many people have walked out of your life, fundamental aloneness is a thing of your past. If you’re God’s child, you are loved today even if, in your human relationships, you are completely alone.
(Excerpted from New Morning Mercies)
Recommended Resource— In His Image by Jen Wilkin
Sometimes we ask What is God’s will for my life? when we should really be asking Who should I be? The Bible has an answer: Be like the very image of God.
By exploring ten characteristics of who God is—holy, loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, and wise—this book helps us understand who God intends for us to be. Through Christ, the perfect reflection of the image of God, we will discover how God’s own attributes impact how we live, leading to freedom and purpose as we follow his will and are conformed to his image.
