God is not only my God, He is my friend. Ps 54:4 out of the Living Bible says, "But God is my helper. He is a friend of mine". Can you say that about God? God said this about faithful Abraham, our father in the faith. James 2:23 says, "And Abraham was called the friend of God" and in 2 Chronicles 20:7 it says Abraham is God's friend forever. So how does God accomplish that, "forever"? Gal 3:29 tells us how. "And if you are Christ's (you're His IF you have been born again), then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. The seed of Abraham (you and me) can be as much of a friend with God as Abraham was and still is. Isa 41:8 confirms it," the decendants of Abraham My friend". Yes, that means God is your friend, now the question is, "are you His friend?".
This is the relationship God desires with His man/woman. But this also is the relationship that man desires with his God. For the most part, man has never known God's desire to be a friend to him. Friends enjoy one another's company. They enjoy getting to know one another on a more intimate level. They go beyond the surface level communication and are willing to reveal their hearts to one another. A good example of this is found in Matt 7: 21-23. There are many people who claim to know God and they even do many things in His name, but in the end when they are standing before Jesus, He declares " I never knew you, depart from Me". This friendship thing takes on a more serious tone when you hear that. You see, you really dont know someone until you hang out with them. The longer you spend time together, the more you know about each other and the better friends you become. This is why God created man. To be His friend. There is no closer relationship with God then to be called His friend.
Being a friend of God is not a lack of respect for God, it's the highest honor that man can give to God; calling God his friend, and it's the highest place a man can be; being called God's friend. The term friend almost sounds to casual when you speak it concerning your relationship with God. But "friend" perfectly defines and reveals the very relationship that is most desired by God. (here would be a good place to grab your bible and hear what Jesus has to say about being friends with you in John 15: 12-15). Jesus said He wants to be your friend.
The problem is, there are very few men/women who will draw this close to God. Fear is what keeps them from this relationship with God. Afraid that they are not good enough to walk with God this way. The reason man thinks this way is because they lose sight of the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin and enables us to have fellowship one with another (1 Jn 1:7).
Our adversary, the devil, gets us to get our eyes off Jesus and His blood, and he gets us to look at ourselves without the blood covering, and we don't look so good that way in our sight. And it's that image of ourselves that destroys the opportunity to draw near to God as His friend. We say, "why would God want to be a friend with the likes of someone like me?", then we answer our own question by saying, "He wouldn't". So we buy into the lie of the devil which seperates us from being friends with God. We must see ourselves as God sees us; knowing that we were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold from our aimless conduct received by tradition from our fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Pet 1:18-19)
We must understand that God looks at us through the blood of Jesus (now you must be born again for Him to look at you that way) and He sees us as righteous, with out blemish, and without spot, which enables us to come boldly to the throne of Grace where God resides, and sit with Him there, and enjoy Him as our friend. This is where God has wanted man since the beginning of time. The first Adam had this relationship with God, but lost it through sin. The second Adam (Jesus) came and got this relationship back for man once again. Jesus paid the price for our sin, and made the way back to God once again to allow man to be friends with God. God has already laid His life down for us. Our we willing to lay our lives down for Him? That's what friends do.
God is asking you and me today, "do you really want to be My friend?", or do we choose to be in that outer fringe of the Kingdom of God, the kid who sits in the very last seat of the row in his school room, or the man that comes to church and sits in the very last row hoping not to be noticed. This is not where friends of God sit. They sit where Mary sat (Luke 10:39) at the feet of Jesus (now that's up close where you and I belong) desiring to hear the word of God and then talk back and forth with God. God longs for us to be in this place with Him. I pray we long to be with Him just as much as He longs to be with us.
I encourage you this day to seek this relationship with God and be His friend so that He can be your friend as well. There is no better place to be. Friends with God. I'll see you there!!
4 comments:
How could a person love, be friends with, or lay their life down for someone they have only read about.
No matter how hard you try or how much you talk to your self or much you read it is not the same as being with some one, looking in their eyes or actually hearing their voice. It's not fear, Terry, it's that God is not available to participate in the other side of the ongoing relation ship. Regardless of of many gifts he sends or how much provision he makes,the gift giver is not available.
To my anonymous friend I respond.It's obvious by your writing that you have searched the scriptures and have some knowledge about God but up til now you don't know Him. (I didn't say "know of Him", but rather "know Him", there is a huge difference here). To know God (the One True God)you must meet His Son Jesus, then accept Him as your Lord and Savior and be born again, then and only then will your spiritual eyes be opened and you'll be able to see the Kingdom of God and the One who is Lord over it. (John 3:3) Your response reminds me of Thomas for he said in John 20:25, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." Now a few days later Jesus appears in front of Thomas and says (verse 27) "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving but believing". Thomas then chose to believe Jesus because he could see Him and touch Him but Jesus said to him (v29) "because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen (Me) and yet have believed". You enter the Kingdom by faith, then you live by faith. It has nothing to do with seeing and feeling, but believing. Rom 8:16 says "The Spirit Himself (that's Jesus) bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." When you are born again, you know He is there. You don't see Him with your physical eye, but you see Him with the eye of faith. I would ask you to read John 10:1-18 that speaks to Jesus being the True Shepherd. Jesus says in verse 4 "and when He brings out His own sheep (these are the born again ones), He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice." The born again man will see and hear His Lord. He's real. He's there. And He loves you and wants you to come to Him on His terms and those terms are through the blood of Jesus. I pray you meet Him....be blessed!
Thank you for your response, Terry. I have been searching, for what seems like forever. It's not my intention to dispute, denounce or call into question the Bible. Exactly the opposite would be closer to the truth.I listen to broadcast ministries on the radio all day every day, (Chuck Swindoll, Chip Ingram, John McAurthur, David Jremiah). I'm in church every Sunday and spend an hour with a Christian Counselor every Wednesday for over a year now. I know that some how HE is the answer. I believed you completely when you said I must meet Him. How can you ever understand the difference between His Holiness and your sinfulness otherwise and ,consequently, truly understand your need for him. Unfortunately, what I seem to lack is contrition ,(conviction?).I never came to church or came back to church or walked down an isle, (though I have done all of those things many times) because of guilt or shame.I have continued to search for him because my heart has been broken for most of my life and I want to EXPERIENCE Love and acceptance and approval etc. not just read about them with regard to the entire human race.
To Anonymous. Thank you for your honesty and your willingness to open up your heart. Your broken heart is what is keeping you from a new heart. When people suffer pain and brokenness the devil comes with the temptation to vent your anger towards God, or in other words blame God or hold God responsible for your misfortune. But this is a lie straight out of the pit of hell. The devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy (all of which he is doing to you) and Jesus came that you might have abundant life.(Jn 10:10) God is the restorer and the devil is the destroyer. If you are blaming God or accusing Him for anything in your past, then this must be dealt with. God is not your problem, nor has He ever been. He is your way out to a new life of freedom. So check your heart, and if you need to confess the sin of blaming God, then please do that so that God can forgive you and restore you. Then you must do what the Apostle Paul did in Phil 3:12-14. You must be willing to forget those things that are behind and reach forward to those things that are ahead. You have the choice at what you will look at. Behind or ahead. It takes a desperate man to meet Jesus. I was that man many years ago now, for I knew He was my only way out, and this is true of you today. Jesus is your only way out of your troubling past. Religion has no answer for you.Christianity is not a religion or a religeous experience, but it is a relationship with a God/Man named Jesus. Reach out to Jesus as a desperate man and He will save you and you to will know Him just like I do and all the rest of His body of believers. He loves you very much, just take Him at His Word. I am praying for you to meet Him this way and I know you will. Be Blessed!
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