The REAL Friend

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey and examine one word: seek.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering, we considered one word: Prayer. This week we will consider the R.E.A.L. friendship When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Psalm 145:13b (NIV)

Jesus is a relational, empowering, affirming, and loving (R.E.A.L.) , promising keeping friend who has promised to bear ALL our temporary burdens.  His protective care is for all His kingdom and throughout all generations. We can be assured that the promises He makes, He will keep. 

PSALM: What a Friend We Have In Jesus originally was written as a poem by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855.

Jesus, our R.E.A.L. friend is a promise keeper (Psalms 145:13b).  Therefore, we can bring ALL our burdens to Him with expectancy. We can expect that He will bear our temporary burdens (Psalm 55:22).  We can expect that our burdens will not overwhelm us because Jesus will be right their with us (Isaiah 43:2). We can expect that even our suffering will point us to Jesus and yield results that are good for us (Romans 8:28). We can expect that one day, we will not have to pray on earth for we will experience the rapture and our prayers will then become words of praise and endless worship. We know Jesus is our R.E.A.L. friend but what about our friendships here on earth, are they a R.E.A.L. Table of Friends?

PARABLE:  

Jesus is a Promise Keeper. Man and women are not. Yet, if they are R.E.A.L. friends, we can expect them to offer us grace and mercy when we break our promises as we offer it when they do the same. We need a R.E.A.L. Table of Friends who will walk with us on our journey and direct us towards Jesus in times of joy and sorrow. Who is seated at your R.EA.L. Table of Friends? 

• The Relational Seat: The one who spends time with you. Time, space and distance does not matter to this person. They are there to leave you feeling refreshed and better.
• The Empowering Seat: The one who speaks words of encouragement to you, sees your strengths, and uses their words to empower you?
• The Affirming Seat: The one who sees your potential, doesn’t allow you to settle for anything less than God’s best. They challenge you but affirm you.
• The Loving Seat: The one who shows appreciation and love by meeting a need. They don’t even wait for you ta ask, they take action, they feel your obstacle is their obstacle.

PONDER and WANDER:  

If you choose, Ponder the questions: Do I have a R.E.A.L. Table  of Friends? Who is in each role?

Soul care training exercise: Follow the R.E.A.L. steps below to identify who are the R.E.A.L. relational, empowering, affirming, and loving people at your table? Who are the people in your life that include you at their R.E.A.L. table?

• Take time to still your mind and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Ask Him to let you see who is seated at your R.E.A.L. table. 
  • Who is seated in the relational seat?
  • Who is seated in the empowering seat?
  • Who is seated in the affirming seat?
  • Who is seated in the loving seat?
• Look at the table. Do the people seated at your R.E.A.L. table still meet the role they once held? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is anyone who needs to be removed or added in this season of your life?
• Celebrate your R.E.A.L. Table of Friends.

Next,

Ask you friends if you are invited by the Holy Spirit to be a part of their Table of Friends. If so, ask them to identify what role they need you to be during this season.

PRAYER:  Jesus, thank you that you are my R.E.A.L. friend. There is nothing fake about who you are or who I am when I am with you. You know my shortcomings and you still love me. Thank you for the R.E.A.L. friends on earth that walk with me on my journey and point me towards you. Help me to be a friend who is relational, empowering and encouraging, affirming, and loving others the way you have loved me. Help me to live without the mask that keeps me from sharing the R.E.A.L. parts of me. In the name of Jesus who sees all and loves all of me I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to thank God for the R.E.A.L. friend you have in Jesus. Let the work of your wandering fill you with the love of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post The R.E.A.L. Promise Keeper appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image attributions:
REAL friend circle: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-three-portrait-black-3104635/with added text
The Lord is trustworthy: Photo taken by Mary Shortreed with added text