Thankful for friends

This Sunday, November 17, we are focusing on being thankful for friendship.  As we do, we will take a look at David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18-20.  David and Jonathan's relationship is a great example of loyalty, integrity, and friendship.  In their relationship we notice at least three qualities of friendship.  First, they were willing to sacrifice for one another (see 1 Samuel 18:4).  Second, we learn of Jonathan's loyalty to David in 1 Samuel 19:1-3.  And third we notice Jonathan and David's strong emotion towards each other (1 Samuel 20).  Each characteristic reminds us of the great value of a good friend.

The best way I can relate with the friendship of David and Jonathan is to compare it to the relationship between brothers or men who have fought together in the military or played on a sports team at a high level.  Perhaps you have another example in your life of true friendship which helps you relate to David and Jonathan.

The truth is we all need at leas tone good friend.  I know I am thankful for the friendship I have with my spouse, my brothers, and my church family.  How about you?  What are the friendships in your life for which you can be thankful?

King David - Man After God's Own Heart

This week we wrap up our series - Choices: Where is Life Leading You?  Life is tough!  And all of us have made some pretty rotten decisions along the way.  The sad truth is that the more bad decisions we make, the easier it becomes to justify our bad decisions and add more to them.  That's what makes King David's story so valuable.  David's story teaches us to live to please God, to repent and turn back to God when we loose our way, and to "brace ourselves" for the consequences of our own poor choices.

Most of us remember David from the story of David and Goliath.  But David wasn't immune from sinful choices.  Although David was a mighty warrior and a spiritual poet, He was far from perfect.  And his failures weren't small ones.  When David messed up, he messed up royally.

But something stands out about David; it was his heart.  David's heart was always turning towards God.  Unlike King Saul, David was more concerned about pleasing God than pleasing people.  He was more concerned about God's will, than his own will.  Psalm 51 reveals the sadness of David's heart as he deals with his own grievous sins and repentance.  David wasn't perfect, but his heart was perfect toward the Lord.  That's the only reason that the Kingdom was taken from Saul and given to David.  David was a man after God's own heart.  Join us Sunday as we look deeper at the life of David and determine to live to please God.  See you @ the ARC (10:15 AM).