Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/84

Contributor - Linda Ryken

Title - The Bridge Between You and Your Friends

Topic - Friendship

The bridge between you and your friends is a bridge that you cannot always trust. Sometimes it may be solid, shaky or sometimes there might not be one there at all.

The shaky part of the bridge is when you and your friends are not getting along. One example in the Bible is shown in Luke 22 when Jesus was being "tried" and Peter was "accused" of being a friend of "that man Jesus". Peter denied this accusation not once but three (3) times.

Even though this happened over 2000 years ago it still happens today. I will tell you about a friend who was betrayed severely.

He was driving his car when he saw some of his "friends". He pulled over to talk to them and they suddenly jumped into his car and told him to take them to their hotel. These so-called friends were drinking excessively and were also smoking dope. He finally arrived at their hotel and left them there. He pulled out of the driveway and about 5 minutes later a policeman stopped him and told him that those guys he picked up had been under surveillance for about 3 weeks. The policeman asked my friend to come to the station and there the car was searched. The result was a small bag of hashish. My friend was booked on illegal possession and aiding fugitives of the law,

My friend is now on probation but the scar of being betrayed will be with him always. This is just a little example that shows how the bridge can be broken. Some friends are just users and will use anyone.

Another big way that the bridge can be broken is by the abuse of alcohol.

In I Kings 16:9 - 10 it shows one way. King Elah was drinking and Zimri came in and took advantage of this and struck the king down and therefore Zimri could become the next king. This is just one example that shows that the abuse of alcohol can become very fatal.

So often we read or hear about people getting hit and killed by drunk drivers. I read in the Reader's Digest about a 7 year old who was hit by a drunk driver and after about 8 months in the hospital recovering was home for 2 weeks and then she was hit again and this time the result was fatal.

This is just one more little example that shows the fact that alcohol abuse is very fatal.

In these days one thing that drinking you and your friends have in common is that if you do not drink then you are not a part of their group.

Another thing that people use alcohol for is to get another person drunk and have sexual intercourse.

One example in the Bible is in Genesis 14:31 - 38. This is the story about Lot and his daughters.

Lot's daughters got their father very drunk one night and then they both had sexual intercourse and had children.

Then finally the most important, but not least is the Christian side of the bridge. This is usually the most hurtful one of the ones I have named.

Many times one of my friends will come up to me and ask me if I go to church. When I say I do, they come back and say that I am crazy and that they would never go. This is one thing that makes me feel very uneasy because I do not have enough faith. The Bible teaches us not to be worried but to go out and preach HIS powerful name.

In I Peter 4:16 1 read that no man should be ashamed of the fact that she/he is a Christian but should glorify the Lord and thank Him for letting us be a member of His family.

Finally I think the only way that we can keep the bridge from breaking is by praying for these friends. Then we could maybe talk to them and tell them what it is like to be a Christian.

A friendship does not need drugs, alcohol, sex or any other worldly things, but it does need the love and the blessings from above. Two more examples of friendships are that of David and Jonathan and THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE is that of US and GOD. God said he will never leave us nor forsake us, and any friendship built on that assurance will survive any test.

Linda

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