Comrades

2 Samuel 15:31 “When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!”

So far, we have looked at two of five of the types of relationships we need in our lives in order to be limitless and truly become all that God has called us to be. We need both Conspirators and Constituents. 

The people who seem to understand the need for constituents the most are the politicians. The politician’s mantra is, ‘There are no permanent enemies. There are only permanent interests.’ That is why it confuses the majority when they see that the same politicians who were fighting at an election, are together at a wedding laughing, drinking, and eating lavishly. Yet these same people come to project themselves as enemies.

Meanwhile, people are killing themselves to queue behind each politician and represent their interests. And it is because the people do not understand what the politician understands, which is that there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Why should you want to have any enemy? In fact, you should not have any enemies in life. 

The third category of relationships you need to have in your life is Comrades. This category is pretty tricky because comrades are people, we would usually call friends. Remember, we use friendships to represent relationships loosely. But the people we will refer to as “friends” are comrades. 2 Kings 4:3 “And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbours.” (emphasis added). Friends and neighbours are two distinct things. The people we mostly call friends are comrades. Comrades, friends, exist because you have a common enemy. They are not for you. They are not for what you are for. They are not against you. They are against what you are against. That is a comrade. 

We see comrades as good friends because comrades will defend you. Sometimes, a comrade can even lay down his or her life for you. But he or she is not for you, not against you, and not for what you are for. Comrades are just against what you are against. When people see comrades who are sold out like that, people who can place their lives down for the mission or the assignment, they think the comrade is placing his life down for. You believe that you have such a loyal person in your circle. But he or she is just a comrade. It is a tricky kind of loyalty. So, you need to identify the comrades in your circle and see them for who they are—comrades.

Prayer: Father, I am grateful for the gift of comrades. Yet I ask for the grace to see as I ought to see, to see comrades as comrades, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen