Good Friends and Faith Life Pt. 3

Good Friends and Faith Life
Part 3.

 Love: an intense feeling of deep affection.
The fact that we've sunk so low that we define love by feelings is depressing.

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Love isn't just a feeling. Those butterflies you get when you see Catholic Cutie are great and all, but it's not love. Loving your spouse is knowing you'll pass that exciting honeymoon stage and go into times of contentment and joy, and times of hardship. Loving your friend is even when they're having a bad day, not judging them and listening. It's sitting there, not having to talk, but just be together. Loving your family is not killing them😂. Jk. Loving your family is spending time with them even when they're driving you crazy. Love is an action.

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We choose to love. Especially those who we think least deserve it. We need to choose to love the bullies. We need to choose to love the people who abandon us, the people with SSA, the people who are abortionists. The people that seem to be the most damaging are often the most damaged and in need of love.

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We all need God in our lives. People who run around getting drunk or taking drugs are looking for a sense of contentment but that can only be found in love. This desire for love exists because we exist to fill a desire. Not a need, a want. We are wanted. Because like we want love, God wants us. He wants us to choose him, he doesn't want robots. No one wants to be with someone who doesn't want to be with him. Love is mutual. Love is work. Love is a choice. It's patient, and kind, it doesn't boast and it isn't envious. Faith, hope and love remain, and the greatest of these is love.

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Bible verses

1Cor 13
Lke 6:35
Romans 12:9
Mark 12:31
Romans 13:10

Good Friends and Faith Life Pt. 2

Good Friends and Faith Life
Part 2.

Trust: the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Trust is the second part of a relationship, evolving from respect. If you do not trust a person to tell you the truth, it becomes difficult to respect them. But trust is more than believing in one's secret keeping abilities.

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Trust is almost like handing someone your heart, and knowing they won't break it. It's telling them your deepest secret and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that they won't tell anyone. It's hard won, but easily lost.
Trust isn't easy. You have to prove yourself to be trustworthy. If you haven't, how can you expect people to tell you anything?

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When someone trusts you with something, they believe you won't go behind their back, or make them regret it. Say or do anything to lose that trust, you'll have a hard time winning it back. Don't throw it away over something stupid. Don't do anything you wouldn't want someone else to do.

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Our relationship with God is built on trust. With religious matters, it's often called faith😜. We trust God has a plan for us. We trust that everything he does is to better us and push us towards sainthood. We trust in his love and forgiveness. We trust in his existence through what he has revealed to us. If we don't trust him, we feel empty. Trust is crucial to  relationships. Are you trustworthy?

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Bible verses
Matt 7:12
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Isaiah 43:2
Psalm 56:3
1Jhn 5:14

Good Friends and Faith Life Pt. 1

Hey everyone!
This week I'll be writing articles/devotionals on how to be a good friend and how it relates to our faith lives. I hope, if you're having friendship issues, this helps and maybe you and your friends can read it together.
Enjoy!

Good Friends and Faith Life
Part 1.

 Respect: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their qualities of abilities.
That is how the New Oxford Dictionary defines respect. But if you were merely friends with someone because of their popularity or their looks we'd call you shallow. Without respect for ranks, age, wisdom or titles, society would crumble. But before you even get to know a person you respect them, right? The foundation of any relationship is respect. If that means listening when your friend needs to talk, or honoring the fact that they may not want to talk about something at all, you respect it. It's their business and they'll share when they're ready. Same as they'll respect you and listen when YOURE ready. Your friend may never be ready but you have to respect that.

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God created us in His image. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and knows everything. If you can't respect yourself and love yourself, you push yourself away from God. You run to things of this world, like self harm or eating disorders. You're trying to build a relationship with God. Relationships only work with respect and communication. These things work both ways. Sometimes things won't go your way and you have to respect God's plan, and instead of talking to Him about it, listen to what he has to say. Respect is everything.

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We define respect as a mutual understanding and trust between two people and their needs, regardless of social or economic standing, or race.
Do you really respect those around you?

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Bible verses
1Cor 6:19-20
1Peter 2:17
John 13:34
Matt 7:12