Friend of God
Wisdom Hunters 5/11/2016
“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.” (James 2:23)
In the passage above it says that “he was called God’s friend.” What does it mean to be a friend of God’s? It’s like a child who becomes an adult and begins to relate to their dad or mom like a friend, but they still treat them with honor and respect. So it is with your heavenly Father — in the infant stages of faith, you cannot fathom friendship until you mature through the elementary applications of: submission to God, trust in God, obedience to God, fear of God, and love of God and people.
This was a lesson Abraham had to learn, and so do we. Once we relate to our heavenly Father in complete surrender, dependence, and belief; we are then in a position to appreciate engaging Him as a friend. But please understand, this friendship cannot bypass His Lordship in our lives. Those who would become friends with God have to first travel down the path of perseverance, brokenness and character development. Friendship comes with a history of faithful service to Jesus; not with a flippant attitude, but one of awe.
Jesus said to His disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
Jesus extends friendship to His faithful disciples. Do you enjoy this same level of intimacy with Jesus? Is your friendship with Him a healthy mixture of laughter and joy, weeping and grief, encouragement and accountability, and confession and forgiveness? Friendship with Jesus means access to grace and truth that’s revealed in His word. Your qualification for friendship has the benefit of His blessing.
Happy and content are those who can genuinely say they are a friend of God. Has your faith grown to this level of intimacy and friendship? Your heavenly friendship is best nurtured by humble submission to God. It grows as you relax in His presence and really learn to enjoy being with Him, listening to His heart, and learning what it means to be a loving friend. Friends of God look forward to being blessed by their best friend as they spend time with Him.
Job said, “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house…” (Job 29:4).