Friendship – Edition #5: Moving Others Up

April 7th, 2006

I have news about my heart. And as they say about a sure fire kicker in the NFL, “It’s Good!” Yes, my heart is fine. There is no damage on my heart. Wow, I am so grateful that through it all, God has protected me and blessed with this great news. So, my heart is good and my brain is good. We still don’t know what is causing the leg pain but that will be found out soon enough, I am sure. Now, today is Friday (or as I call it “Friends Day”). I am thinking of doing a quiet time on every Friday that helps me become a better friend and a better servant to those I know.

Friendship – Edition #5: Moving Others Up

Luke 14:1-14
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.

Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” And they had nothing to say.

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Dropsy (noun):

• Swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue.

James 2:19-24
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

What I like about the scripture from Luke is that, Jesus is saying, as I see it, that I need to be giving to those in need. It’s not wrong to fellowship with friends and family, but it is better to help the poor, the sick, and those in hardship. Friends are great… but how greater would it be to make a friend who is in need. For it is written “wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him.” What has been given me should be that of a rotation of stock. I shouldn’t hoard up money and pass away from this world with nothing to show for it. What good is money when I am dead? Charlie and the Charlie Factory said it best in regards to the golden ticket. One of the uncles said that Charlie shouldn’t sell the ticket. Money comes and goes, but there are only five tickets… he should use that ticket because it is priceless and the opportunity may never come again. Now, think about the Kingdom of God and turn that into a golden ticket. Will I see it to pay the rent? Will I go and waste it away and get kicked out like the four other children? Or will I make the most of the opportunity, save my friends and family as did Charlie? Charlie did something quite amazing… he befriended Willie Wonka. He gave him something that Wonka didn’t have anywhere else, a family, trust, and companionship that everyone needs in this Earthly life. When I put myself out there, helping the homeless, the crippled, and the needy, it is a deed, but more importantly, the possibility of creating a friendship is there… I have a golden ticket, what will I do with it?