"Since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life" (Romans 5:10).
Our relationship to God has many different aspects: he is our Creator, our Father, our Savior, our Redeemer, and so much more. We are just about to learn that He is our Friend, as well.
Adam and Eve, before the Fall, enjoyed a friendship with God that was more than just close. Can you imagine being the first two people of the creation and being able to communicate with God, to walk with God, to be best friends with? This is what God created us for. To walk with Him, and share with Him every facet of our lives. And then came sin. The ideal relationship was lost.
In the Old Testament times, there were only a few people that were privileged enough to have a special relationship with God. Moses and Abraham were called "friends of God", David was called "a man after God's own heart", and a few more had intimate relationships with God. Then Jesus came to pay the price for our sins. God was once again available. "Now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God" (Romans 5:11).
The beautiful Friendship we have with God is possible only because of His grace and the sacrifice of Jesus (2 Cor 5:18 a). In John 15:15, Jesus tells us that He no longer calls as servants but friends, "Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you". In this context, friend means a "trusted relationship". In Exodus 34:14, the Bible says that our God is passionate about His relationship with us.
God planned the universe for us; that is how much he desires to make us happy and to have a loving relationship with us (Acts 17:26 – 27). It is our privilege to know and love God.
There are six secrets of friendship with God we will look at two of them today and finish up tomorrow.
Becoming a Best Friend of God
Through constant conversation. We will never grow a close relationship with God by just attending church. A close relationship with God requires you to share our life, all our life. We need to have a daily devotion with Him, as well as to speak to Him through our thoughts and prayers. He wants to be included in every activity, every facet of our lives. The Bible tells us to "[Pray] without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In this way, we include God in everything.
Brother Lawrence, the author of "Practicing the Presence of God", said "The key to Friendship with God is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do". We need to start worshiping God through the common tasks of life. We need to stop thinking that we have to have our time with the Lord only at a certain time in a certain place. Our time with the Lord needs to be at all times. As Adam and Eve were in constant communion with God, so must we be. This takes practice; to practice the presence of God is a skill, a habit that we must develop to have a deep, intimate Friendship with our Lord. As Rick Warren says, "[Y]ou must train your mind to remember God".
Through continual meditation. We establish a friendship with God by hiding His word in our hearts; in other words, by meditating on His word. This is actually thinking of what the Bible tells us. We cannot love God unless we know God; and we cannot know God and less we know His word (1 Samuel 3:21). So, if we meditate, which is just to think, on His word, we can learn to know God.
In instead of thinking of a problem, think of God's word. In this way, we not only get to know God, but we turn our problems over to Him. This is letting go, and letting God. We need to just switch our attention from our problems to God.
The more we trust God, include God in our lives, the more He will share His word with us, He wants to share His secrets with us. The Bible says, "[F]riendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him. With them alone He shares the secrets of his promises" (Psalm 25:14).
Point to ponder:
God wants to be my best friend.
Verse to Remember:
Psalm 25:14a
Question to Consider:
What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to Him more often throughout the day?
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