"I'd get by with a little help from my friends." The element of Christian relationships is found in our taking the responsibility to be a friend with each other. Whether that be a Christian brother, sister, wife, husband, child or the church you go to; you all need a little help from your friends. I know that I do. So, why don't we seek help from our friends? Why do we forsake the gathering of the saints? Just what is it that keeps us sedentary and content at a place of less than? There are two elements found missing when this situation rears it's ugly head. The first is our dedication and the second is our responsibility. Dedication to Jesus should equal dedication to our Christian friends in support, love, and correction. A friend doesn't skirt around the issues and nor do they join in when the Christian isn't following the path God intended for us to follow. Dedication means I care about you with (you guessed it) all the love God has bestowed upon you in Jesus. Dedication means that you aren't afraid to love your friend but hate their sin. Dedication also isn't shy. When we are dedicated to God, we are known as we are. He sees our hearts where the real man/woman is and encourages us to be more like Christ. This means our dedication with other Christians means a transparency of our lives with those who do likewise. I'm not encouraging you to do or say foolish things. Nor am I telling you to keep things secret that keep you from conveying Jesus to the world you live in.
Christian responsibility is quite another thing. Responsibility has long been misunderstood when using it to create guilt in others. You know what I mean. Someone out of righteousness (self) tries to shame you into being what they think you should be. We all know the difference. Mike Warnke once was approached by a man after a performance and he said, "Brother Mike, I want to tell you this in Christian love." Mike stopped him and said, "When you put it that way I know that it's not from God. If you say something to me in Christian love, I will know it." Approaching the Christian with the attitude that what you are saying is from God isn't necessary when the love of Jesus is guiding your thought and words. Responsibility belongs to Christ within you as you convey his love for a lost world. When you express your idea of love versus Christ's idea of love, people will know whether they are being loved unconditionally by Christ or conditionally by you. When choosing to say what Jesus would say, do you sing out of tune or do you get by with a little help from your friends? Many times I have been approached by someone who tells me that what I am doing in wrong, what I am thinking and saying is wrong and I know by the Holy Spirit that what they say may be true, how they say it doesn't convey the love of God. People don't care about how much I know until they know how much I care.
The song goes on to say, "Do you need anybody? I need somebody to love." If you guessed the song is from the Beatles, congratulations! The message may have been meant in a worldly way but God can use anyone, anything to convey his love to us. That innate part of us that desires to be loved, accepted and approved is very strong. That part also desires to be given to others to the degree that we have received that love acceptance and approval. IF you believe, feel, or know that God loves, accepts and approves of YOU just the way you are, then why don't you (and I) give it away to others? Why don't you give it away to your Christian friends? They want and need it. Why don't you give it away from your non-Christian friends? They really need it. Why don't you give it away to your enemies? They are in desperate need of salvation and the love acceptance and approval from God. YOU are that conduit. What you do with what you receive is essential to the mission of God amongst an unbelieving world. In the end, you will need to make a choice. Remember that the choice is always yours.
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