When a Friend Betrays Ferdie's Friends

Norman, my youngest brother came to know the saving grace of Jesus when he was still a young teenager. He started discovering the way of the Lord when he used to accompany me in going to the church and attending several other Christian gatherings. His early years as a believer is not always full of roses since we have an Uncle who always persecute us and throws harsh accusations towards our newfound faith. Our relatives were perplexed and provoked by what they think a "new" religion and new charismatic "fad" we're entangled into because they claimed we were all strictly and conservatively brought up with their kind of religion. Despite our new differences, we still find time to attend to family reunions and celebrations. One night, my brother and our cousin Ferdie together with their three male churchmates and friends attended our Uncle's birthday celebration. They choose to stay in an extended living room with a door that leads outside the highway and a little bit secluded from the rest of the visitors. Before dinner time, suddently out of nowhere, my uncle swifly entered the room and in an authoritative voice asked: "Who are these people with you?" My brother who was startled almost dropped the plate and silverwares he's holding, gasped his breath and exclaimed "They are Ferdie's friends Uncle!" When our Uncle left, the three guests blurted out: "Brother Norman, you're like Judas Iscariot, you had instantly betrayed us!" Their soft giggles dissolved the tensions in their midst. My brother forgot Jesus admonition regarding friendship: John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends!" He fell very far short of our Saviors' very costly standard of true relationship.

Blez Watchful Concerns

An officemate and a friend named Blez initiated her sideline of selling signature watches and gold jewelries just because of her simple concern to our common friend. She thought of volunteering to buy a nicer watch to this friend because she thinks that the kind of watch the latter is wearing is already old-fashioned and looks cheap for her as an employee of a prestigious government office and as a wife of a civil engineer. This friend is also secured and contented of having one simple pair of earrings whose one piece always falls out of her ears to which she always exclaims "this is my only one pair of earring and it always almost lost many times. A big idea dawned on Blez out of such casual incident and sincere concern for our friend : What about selling watches and gold jewelries here in the office? From then on she sells not only to friends but to almost all employees and staff in our office. She's almost known to everybody and gathered much friends because of her new merchandise which she sells for eight to ten gives and enables ordinary employees to acquire not just signature watches but quality jewelries without much burden of paying. She was able to purchase a car and bought her own house through her business and she helps her brothers/sisters and other relatives in the province. In the Bible there is a verse that says "For who has despised the day of small things"(Zechariah 4:10), truly in just small acts of sincere concern, kindness and act of generosity wells up God's rewards of blessings which are sometimes incomprehensible and unimaginable.