Real Friends with Jesus

 

Readings 072926

There are three people 

Scripture dares to call friends of Jesus.

Not just disciples… 

not just followers… 

but friends.

The kind of friends 

whose home He returned to,

whose table He sat at,

whose sorrows made Him weep.

I sometimes wonder 

If they were childhood friends—

people He had known so long

that their faces felt like home.

Martha bustling, trying to make everything perfect.

Mary listening, resting at His feet.

Lazarus steady and quiet,

the one whose death broke Jesus’s heart.

And like real friends, 

they weren’t afraid to speak plainly.

Martha says, “Lord, if You had been here…”

A cry from a wounded heart.

Jesus doesn’t scold her.

He simply asks, “Do you believe?”

And she answers,

 “Yes, Lord… You know I believe.”

We say we believe too.

But do we trust Him 

with the honesty of Martha,

the devotion of Mary,

the quiet faith of Lazarus?

Do we love Jesus enough to bring Him our anger,

our confusion,

our grief—

and still hold fast to Him?

Lord, make our faith steady,

our friendship with You real,

and our love unshaken.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

teach my heart to welcome You 

with honesty and love. 

Steady me when faith feels thin 

and questions rise. 

Hold me close when grief 

or frustration spills over. 

Make my friendship with You 

deep, real, and unshaken. 

Amen

Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus - pray for us

When His Voice Finds Us Again

Readings 072726 

I look around and see people preaching Jesus,

yet sometimes I wonder  

if they truly know Him.  

And that question turns inward—  

toward the quiet place  

where Christ Himself speaks to the heart  

with a voice both tender and true.

He whispers softly:  

“Follow Me…” 

Just two words—  

yet they open a sacred doorway  

into learning to hear Him,  

learning to recognize His movement  

apart from the world, the enemy,  

and even our own pride.

Scripture shows the cost of losing that voice: 

“If I walk into the field—look, those slain by the sword.  

If I enter the city—look, those consumed by hunger.  

Even prophet and priest forage  

in a land they know not.”

When His voice fades,  

even holy people wander  

into places they never meant to go.

Jesus deepens this truth

in the parable of the weeds:  

The field is the world.  

The good seed are the children of the Kingdom.  

The weeds are sown by the Evil One.  

And the harvest reveals  

what has quietly taken root in our hearts.

So the questions become gentle and personal: 

If I truly follow Him,  

does the Spirit ever ask,  

“Do your actions and words  

witness that you are really following Him?”

If I truly follow Him,  

am I living what He instructed?  

Does following Him bring good seed

joy, peace, and comfort—  

even in trying times?  

Or has my idea of following Him  

led me toward the weeds of anger, resentment,  

or darker places I never intended to go?

These questions are not burdens. 

They are invitations—  

invitations to return,  

to listen again,  

to let His voice shape our steps  

with compassion and clarity.

For the Son of Man still sows good seed.  

And when we stay close to Him,  

His life grows in us—  

steady, radiant,  

and true.  

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, 

Teach my heart 

to recognize Your voice. 

Let Your whisper rise 

above the noise around me. 

Guide my steps when I wander 

into unfamiliar places. 

Plant Your good seed 

deep within my soul. 

And let Your peace 

grow steady and true in me.

Amen