FRIENDS - ARE THEY “CONFIDANTS, CONSTITUENTS, OR COMRADES?”

By Vernalee

There have been a number of theories and quotes on the types of friends who walk through our lives. For me, the version that hit the nail on the head is outlined in Bishop T. D. Jakes’ sermon on “3 Types of Friends.” Bishop Jakes called them, “Confidants, constituents, and comrades.” The confidants are people who are for you. Your confidants love you unconditionally. Confidants weep with you, rejoice with you, and are happy for you….Confidants will make sure that you reach your destiny. Your constituents are for what you are for; while your comrades are against what you are against. Jakes cautions us to not confuse the groups, because constituents and comrades will leave you! The latter two are joined to an external interest/issue of yours, but not you per se. If you have two or three confidants in your lifetime, you are blessed! I thank God for giving me the wisdom to discern that a diamond is coal first! There have been times that I have been wrong and erroneously classified friends. I have been left blowing in the wind. Have you? It happens to the best of us! We can be fooled because people can theatrically show synthetic traits that make them appear genuine and real. It’s important to know who’s who in your life! Recognizing and discerning them are critical steps in this identification process. Bishop Jakes breaks it down better than me. Listen!

LEAN ON ME

By Vernalee

Last year, we lost a music icon, Bill Withers. His legendary songs carried so much meaning. One of them, "Lean On Me" is so appropriate particularly now. With the challenges posed by the pandemic, most of us by now have realized - "We are all in this together."

Written decades ago, the lyrics of “Lean on me” will never grow old. Plucking the strings on his guitar, Bill Withers' voice so harmoniously mellowed the lyrics, “Just call on me brother when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on." On this Sunday morning though many of us may not be sitting in our familiar church pews, we may be attending church virtually, but we can still praise God - wherever we are! We can thank him for bringing us this far. We can come to him in prayer and ask for his grace, mercy, blessings, protection, and covering for us and our families. We can stand on the ground in humility and realize that We Need Somebody beyond ourselves. There is nothing wrong to lean on someone as that person can become a crutch; a stabilizing force who can help us make it through the day. As they help us, we in turn help them and others.

Proverbs 27:17 tells us "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Ecclesiastics 4: 9 -12 reads "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

There are many scriptural references that speak to strength in numbers. So today, we should realize that we are not alone. We are never alone as long as we keep God centered in our lives.

Though Bill Withers was not a gospel singer, many of his songs (including Grandma's Hands) reflected on life and love for the people who cross our way. It is only fitting to step back for a minute today to reflect and realize that we need God and we need each other ... to lean on! My prayer is for God to bless me so that I can be a blessing to someone else! Amen.

Happy Sunday!

10 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE

By Vernalee

There are so many intricate details and amazing features of the Bible from its writings to its writers; from the current events of a particular time to a path of proven historical facts; from the creation of man to the dispelling of evolution; from God’s word being prophetically written to the expressed outline of God’s expectations for mankind. For sure, the Word keeps you grounded and in a safe space. So as we read God’s Word, let's review the amazing facts. Ten Amazing Facts: “1 – The Writing of the Bible The Bible was written over a 1600 year period by approximately 40 men. The time of the writing was from 1500 BC to AD 100. 2 – The Divisions of the Bible While the Bible is 1 book, it contain 66 smaller books. The books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Jesus Christ and the New Testament covers the life of Christ and beyond. 3 – Chapters and Verses Each of the books, except 5, are divided into chapters and verses. The 5 which aren’t divided by chapters are Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. These are short books which only have verse divisions. Chapters were introduced to the Bible in 1238. Verse divisions were not added until 1551. 4 – The Longest and Shortest of the Bible The longest chapter if the Bible is Psalms 119 with 176 verses. The shortest chapter is Psalms 117 with only 2 verses. Incidentally, the middle chapter of the Bible is also Psalms 117. The longest book of the Bible is Psalms with 150 chapters, or psalms. It contains 43,743 words. The shortest book is 3 John with only 1 chapter and 299 words. The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 with 90 words. The shortest verse is John 11:35 with only 2 words, “Jesus wept.” 5 – The Bible is God’s Word There are many books written about and by various religions. But the Bible is the only one which includes the actual words of God. Those who believe the Bible also believe that God inspired various people through the years to write down His actual words for mankind. The Bible says more than 3,000 times “thus saith the Lord.” And the words which follow are quotes from God. 6 – The Bible is Historically Accurate There were several secular historians who wrote about the events of the New Testament at the same time the Bible was being written. Josephus is the most well-known of them. He was a Jewish historian. Tacitus was a Roman historian who would have no benefit from not telling the truth. Both these men, as well as others, can be used to back up the historical accuracy of the Bible. There are historical discoveries regularly coming to light that continue to support the accuracy of the Bible. 7 – The Business of the Bible There are more than 168,000 Bibles either sold or given away per day in the United States according to the Gideons, Wycliffe International and the International Bible Societies. Historically it has been said that the Bible is the most sold book of all time. It is regularly on various best seller lists. The Bible has been translated into more than 1,200 languages. 8 – The Bible Never Contradicts Itself There are no contradictions in the Bible. Various people claim to find contradictions but they have to take verses out of context to do so. When looking at the Bible as a whole and understanding its teachings there are no contradictions. This is amazing when one considers that the Bible was written over such a long period of time. 9 – The Prophecies of the Bible There are more than 3,200 verses with fulfilled prophecy either within the Bible itself or since the Bible was written. But there are still more than 3,100 verses with unfulfilled prophecies. 10 – The Writers of the Bible While there were at least 40 different people who wrote parts of the Bible, some were more prolific than others. The Apostle Paul wrote at least 13 books of the Bible. He may have also been the author of the book of Hebrews. Moses wrote the first 5 books. The Bible attributes more than 3,000 proverbs to King Solomon. These are not all written in the book of Proverbs. However, most of that book is said to be the proverbs of Solomon.” I’m sure that you were just as intrigued as I was. There were so many interesting tidbits that were absolutely astounding.

Now, let’s absorb the Word; it’s time to absorb greater knowledge and read! Blessings!