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“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.” --John 15:10 Friendships don’t just happen in our hectic lives. They take effort and discipline. And the same is true regarding our friendship with Jesus Christ. That’s why I want to share a few disciplines with you that will help you nurture your friendship with the Lord Jesus. Begin by reading the Bible every day. You see, when you and I open the Bible, God’s Word speaks to our hearts and into our lives. It sustains us and cannot fail us. Because it is inspired, inerrant, infallible, immutable, and it is unchanging! If the Bible is God speaking to us, then prayer is the way that you and I respond and speak back to him. So you need to pray to the Lord every day. As his friend, you have no secrets, so you can talk to him about everything. And here is one other discipline of friendship with Jesus. You must embrace a living community of faith. You see, a church is a gathering of the friends of Jesus Christ. And it’s impossible to love God without loving the friends of God. Purpose in your heart right now to be a good friend to Christ by reading his Word, praying to him, and embracing a community of faith, and you will find a friend, indeed. A GROWING FRIENDSHIP WITH CHRIST REQUIRES EFFORT AND DISCIPLINE. Firm Beliefs Thursday, August 22, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?” Romans 2:21–23 Frederick Winslow Taylor was one of the first efficiency experts in the world. Doing what came to be known as time-motion studies, Taylor worked to determine the most effective way to do specific jobs, and how long each job should take. His 1911 book The Principles of Scientific Management was one of the most influential books of the last century. But Taylor’s system with its demands on workers to become more and more productive came in for a great deal of criticism. One of the critics was Vladimir Lenin who called Taylor’s discoveries: “Advances in the extortion of sweat.” But when Lenin gained power in Russia after the Communist revolution he changed his tune. He announced, “We must organize in Russia the study and teaching of the Taylor system.” It is common for people to change their views when it becomes more convenient than sticking to them. But while it is good to change our views if we had previously been wrong, often these changes are not an improvement, but a capitulation to convenience. What this kind of change reveals is that the position we once held was not serious and genuine, but only on the surface level. Perhaps the greatest indication of our commitment to our beliefs is whether we actually practice what we say. A man who says his family is his priority but spends all his time at work or on the golf course doesn’t really have a firm belief of the importance of family. It is not enough just to say the right things, but we must put them into practice as well. Today's Growth Principle:  Never abandon a Bible conviction just because it is easier to do that than stand firm.