John 15:13 – Friendship Is Sacrificial

John 15:13 – Friendship Is Sacrificial

This Week’s Theme – Friendship

September 19, 2018

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

John 15:13

Thought For Today

Jesus said it is a great love when a man lays down his life for a friend. The most profound friendship requires sacrifice.

There are many stories of those who have given their lives for others, for the good of the cause, and for an outcome they believe in with conviction. You probably will never face the choice of sacrificing your life for a friend, but you will face the decision to be sacrificial in all your relationships.

You may make excuses. You may think your time is too valuable to be engaged with your friends. But has it occurred to you that Jesus life was worth 10,000 times more than yours or mine, but He sacrificed it for us?​

Ken Turner

Proverbs 18:24 – Friends Closer Than Brothers

Proverbs 18:24 – Friends Closer Than Brothers

This Week’s Theme – Friendship

September 17, 2018

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Thought For Today

Would you like to have deeper friendships? I’m with you. It starts with intentional acts of friendship. Develop friendships by being open, honest, available, and concerned.

Make friendship a priority in life by investing in deeper relationships. Reach out, make a phone call, send a text to check in, write a note, plan to meet for lunch or dinner. Invest.

The reward of friendship is reaped in adversity. There will be friends in times of need that exceed all the bonds of natural relations. God can use a friend to lift you up in ways that transcend our own immediate family. The love of Christ in us creates a friendship bond among us. ​

Ken Turner

Romans 12:10 – Humility Leads to a Fulfilled Life

Romans 12:10 – Humility Leads to a Fulfilled Life

This Week’s Theme – Humility

September 14, 2018

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

Romans 12:10

Thought For Today

Humility leads to a fulfiiled life. What is more fulfilling than living in a place where the ability to love and be loved is at it’s highest? To be “kindly affectionate with brotherly love” is to love those around you as if they are family.

Family love is different, it functions at a deeper level. A mother’s love for her child is unconditional, unrestrained and unlimited. It’s that type of love God wants us to experience and apply to our friendships. When we put away pride and competition in our friendships and become humble, the reward is a life filled with the joy of knowing we are loved and we are loving without restraint.​

Ken Turner

Proverbs 16:18-20 – Humility: Pride Leads to Collapse

Proverbs 16:18-20 – Humility: Pride Leads to Collapse

This Week’s Theme – Humility

September 13, 2018

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 16:18-19

Thought For Today

When pride creeps in, it tends to increase until eventually, it leads to a fall. And it ALWAYS ends with a collapse in our life. Whether it ends in repentance or ruin,  is based on our choices. When we do not address the sin of pride, it creates more distance in our spiritual life, leading us to believe we are somehow exempt from God’s plans and no longer need to regard Him and His place of authority in us.

This thinking doesn’t fit with today’s culture and mindset, but according to today’s verse, it’s better to be poor and humble than rich and proud. But whatever status you achieve in life, make humility a part of your DNA.​

Ken Turner

James 4:10 – Humble Yourself, Be Lifted Up

James 4:10 – Humble Yourself, Be Lifted Up

This Week’s Theme – Humility

September 12, 2018

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

James 4:10

Thought For Today

God promises to lift up the humble. He is looking so much more carefully at our spirit and our heart attitudes. He notices our outlook about the wickedness the world offers, and He wants us to be humiliated by it. He desires that we be humble about our spirituality. We humbly serve Him with a sincere desire to know Him more. If we are not close to God, it’s our fault, not His.

He will lift up the humble. He promises this to all believers. He will eventually deliver us from trouble, deliver us from suffering, deliver us from oppression, and ultimately fulfill His promise to be with Him for all eternity.​

Ken Turner