THE LOST ART OF RELATIONSHIP
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” (Matt. 18:15)
Both of these verses give us permission to be a friend to others, to tell them the truth in love, and even potentially spare them from the consequences of a failure. Friends need to consistently and gently remind us of the areas we need to improve, too.
5. A friend will sacrifice for you.
“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt. 22:39)
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12)
Act of Valor is one of my favorite movies. The acting is not perfect however it paints a very clear picture of the power of sacrifice.
In one particular scene, several soldiers are carefully advancing into a warehouse to take out the enemy. The team finds themselves in a room that has a vulnerable point, and they are on high alert. The enemy tosses a hand grenade into the center of the room. The chief, who is at the back of the team, sees the grenade hit the floor. In just a second’s time, the chief notices the other soldiers do not see the danger, and without thinking of how this will affect his life, makes the decision to jump on the grenade to save their lives.
Even thinking about this sparks emotion for me. The thought of giving my life for others is one that has crossed my mind several times. What would I do in that split second? Would I be capable of making the same decision? I hope I would. However, there are many other ways to sacrifice without having to give your very life.
We can sacrifice our time to be there for a friend. We can sacrifice our finances to provide for a friend. We can sacrifice our own desires to help make a friend’s dream a reality. There are many ways to sacrifice ourselves for another, especially for a friend.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will