A Magnolia's Heart Beats

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”~ Colossians 3:16 (ESV ~ emphasis Iris')

Iris is thankful for friendships this week. I, too, am grateful for the precious gift of friends.

Friends helpd me make it through a journey through the desert. I have been miserable from October 8 through I'd say about Sunday with The Cold That Turned Into a Sinus Infection With a Hint of Bronchitis and Two Ear Infections. On top of that, I have a mild case of thrush. My friends listened to me whine appropriately and covered me with prayer.

They knew I was miserable, not only because of The Plague, but also because I couldn't see the new grandbaby while I was sick. And since I shared the love bug with Steve, he couldn't see them either. That was remedied Monday night. (You can see pics by clicking here!)

I was also miserable because during my time of illness, I became spiritually parched. Not completely dried out, because I have soaked up so much of the Word this last year, but enough that the fruit was kind of wilting. I got back into a daily routine of quiet time with the Lord and am now completely saturated. In fact, my cup runneth over. My friends encouraged me and never belittled me. They understood and admonished me to do what I needed to do - spend that time with God - in a loving way.

In other words, they taught and admonished me with wisdom.

Friends like that are good to have!

What is the biblical definition of a friend? From what I gather...

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other." ~ John 15:9-17 (NIV)

F - Friendship is all about love.

R - Relationships take time to develop.

I - Intimate friendships are a gift from God.

E - Everyone needs a friend.

N - Never pass up the opportunity to make a new friend.

D - Define the level of friendships in your life in a healthy manner; some will be closer than others.

S - Sacrifice is necessary in friendships.

H - Husbands should be our main "best friends". (Next to Jesus, of course!)

I - Influence your friends by living a life that is pleasing to God.

P - Pray daily for your friends.

Father, thank You for being my Friend. You are my trusted advisor and counselor. I praise You for the gift of the friendships I have here on earth, my circle of friends I see on a daily basis, those in the WOW Gals Groups, and the blogging sisters I have bonded so closely with. I pray that You would deepen my relationships with my friends that I'm just getting to know and help me to love them with the love You have for them. Give us a bond that speaks to the unity we find in You, oh Lord. Father, I praise You for the friendship I have with my husband. It is my most cherished one here on earth. He is an awesome friend, Lord.

For more Thankful Thursday blessings, visit Iris at Grace Alone. I guarantee you will be blessed by this meme. It's a wonderful ministry.