Lesson 149. Friendship in Our Time

Human beings were originally created to love, and this quality of the soul is embedded in the nature of every person. Unfortunately, sin has distorted this characteristic, and what we have today does not always correspond to the original plan.

Upbringing in the family and at school, the characteristics of the local culture, and the mass media—all this influences the development of the mind and shapes a person’s character. And it happens that what was instilled in childhood accompanies me until old age.

When it comes to the understanding of friendship, everyone sees it differently, and most often this understanding is shaped by public opinion. And this opinion erects high barriers in my mind that I do not dare to cross. If I have been convinced that friendship in a particular form is impossible, I will not try to change this, but will build my relationships within the bounds of that understanding.

Friendliness breaks down many traditional notions of friendship. When God endows me with this gift, He also gives me wisdom to manage it, keeping relationships pure, loving, and holy. I have to reconsider many established ideas about friendship and introduce new rules. But if I live within the old boundaries, I will be enclosed by these walls, and one day my development will stop, because I will be unable to overcome what I have made impossible for myself.

Today we have the internet and mobile communications. This is a significant breakthrough in the history of humanity, and this innovation must be taken into account.

Some people live in the old way and do not want to change anything in their lives because they have decided to retain the simplicity of their approach to life, and this should be taken into account. There are many opinions about the influence of these innovations on the individual. We will not dwell on this, but all this diversity must be considered and accepted. And when accepting these discoveries, we should use the new opportunities that do not fit within the old culture. When young and elderly people come together, they do not understand one another. A conflict between generations arises.

Thanks to the internet and its capabilities, one can quickly master any field of knowledge and become well-known, famous, or wealthy. One can create a community and gather like-minded people from all over the world. One can establish a church and preach in it to the whole world.

And one can make new friends and build friendships with them without ever having met face to face. These features of our time should be accepted and used for God’s glory. At the same time, help and wisdom from above are necessary.

God understands the internet very well and knows how it can be used for good in making friends through it.

But it must be remembered that the concept of friendship on social media is also very vague. For example, I have more than one thousand friends on Facebook, many of whom I do not know at all, but they are listed as friends. My daughter believes that I maintain relationships with all of them and is therefore jealous of them. And because I am friendly, I do not mind becoming better acquainted with each person and then loving that person personally.

And here the question arises: where can I find time for all my friends? I want to give an answer as I understand it.

How many friends will I have in Eternity? I think that number will include all the redeemed, all the holy Angels, and representatives of other planets. Together they will make up an impressive group. And one of my goals is to know all of them more closely and deeply.

Let us imagine that there will be about one billion of them. Each one will need to be given enough time, and I will need to enter into the essence of that person’s soul, discovering a new planet for myself. This will require a certain amount of effort on my part and a great deal of time. I will also need a good memory and a profound thought process in order to absorb everything I learn. I cannot manage without God. I hope for a miracle in my mind so that I may be everywhere and with everyone at the same time, while retaining everything in my memory and developing endlessly.

And God will endow me with this capacity of perception and will continually renew and perfect it.

And Eternal life has already begun for me through faith in Jesus Christ. I already live according to the laws of Heaven, which are set forth in the Bible. I try to comprehend the essence of the union between the earthly and the Heavenly.

My understanding of friendship has undergone changes, but I am not suffering any loss from it now. I do not lose friends, even when there are very many of them, but become deeply attached to them and note all their individual characteristics so that I can build relationships while avoiding ‘sharp corners’ and showing tact and love. Without God this is impossible, but with Him everything is within my power. And He gives me these relationships and arranges matters so that, whenever possible, they are mutual and do not descend upon me all at once.

And when I am burdened with something beyond my strength, the Lord waits for me to give these cares to Him. And He gladly takes everything that I cast upon Him.

Christ’s presence is necessary in every relationship and every friendship; otherwise, it will be an emotional, earthly, carnal undertaking that will one day collapse and bring much suffering. In Christ, however, every friendship acquires a special status and meaning. It is no longer an earthly decision, but something that binds us with eternal ties, unconditionally and forever.

A friend is like a child: once this person was not in our plans, but through my deep knowledge of God and our relationship with Him, a person called a new friend appeared in our life. This person did not exist there before, but now that person does, and this is an inheritance from the Lord. And all children are different; among friends, too, no two are alike.

Of course, I myself have my own character and individual traits, so I do not claim to possess the most correct understanding of truth. Jesus is the Truth, and in Him lies the meaning of eternal development and progress.

We should not be afraid of the new opportunities we have today to make true friends, but it is also important for us to become genuine ourselves. And once again we come to Christ. Without Him this is impossible, but I can do all things through Jesus Who strengthens me.

If I set boundaries in my mind for my understanding of friendship, God will work within the boundaries of my perception and bless me in little things, if I allow Him. If I go farther and dive deeper, He goes with me and opens new opportunities.

Friendship is a boundless ocean of discovery and development that each of us should explore and expand. It has no boundaries; it extends into Eternity, where it will always develop and amaze us with endless discoveries. But to know the eternal, a union with the Eternal God is necessary; otherwise, everything will be limited by earthly bounds and interests. God, however, makes all things new. He greatly delights in restoring the ruins of my shattered stereotypes according to His eternal standard.

And now the Lord is opening unique prospects in the discovery of love and friendship, but these fields of knowledge should be studied and developed in one’s personal life, and Jesus will teach and guide in this direction everyone who chooses this path.

And my friends are those people who will also support me in difficult times. In answer to their prayers, God will perform miracles in my life, and in answer to my prayers—in the lives of my friends.

We should not be afraid of the distinctive features of our time, but should use them wisely for God’s glory.

And the Lord will give us wisdom as to how best to do this and accomplish it.

1. What interesting things did you find in this lesson?

2. For what purpose were human beings originally created? Is God’s purpose in creating them still relevant in our time?

3. What prevents a person from looking at friendship in a new way?

4. Who helps us build proper relationships with other people?

5. What opportunities for friendship extend before us here and in Eternity?

6. Can the internet help us find new friends?

7. Does the prospect of having a great many friends frighten you?

8. Please read Psalm 111:10; 119:113; 127:3; Isaiah 58:12; 60:3; 2:3; and Romans 12:2, 10, 13 in the light of this lesson.