But let us remember “…. that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” – Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4
The Lowdown – thelowdown.co.nz – is part of the Ministry of Health’s National Depression Initiative. The leaflet “GET TO A BETTER PLACE” explains the initiative. I picked the leaflet up at the local library today here in Kaitaia.
On the front page of the publication are eight questions. Here are the first four:
“Do you have the right friends? Do you listen to the right music? Do you wear the right clothes? Should you smoke?……..”
Inside the flyer I read: “One in seven young Kiwis experience serious depression, so don’t worry if you think you’re the only one feeling the way you do – …..” (For those who don’t know, Kiwis are New Zealanders.)
Do you have the right friends?
Let me tell you about my friends. And yes, I am sure that I have the right friends. You can find my friends all over the world. But I think that most of my friends are in Europe, in Germany. From Christmas 1966 until Christmas 2004 I worked as a missionary in Thailand and in New Zealand and my friends not only prayed for me but my friends also supported me financially all those years. It is only now that I realise that they prayed for me and supported me financially for almost forty years. That is a long time, you will agree.
How do I know that I have friends all over the world? How do I know that I have the right friends? Because the Lord Jesus Christ is my friend and I have many brothers and sisters in Christ!
And they are not only from different countries, but also from different races. Not all that long ago I spoke over skype to a pastor and leader in Thailand. We worked together in Thailand for quite some time.
“I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.” – Psalm 119:19