Day #12: Friday, January 15th

Wanna Be My Friend?

Scripture References: Rom 5:10-11, John 15:15, Jer. 9:24 

Devotional

​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.” (Rom 5:10 NLT)

Your relationship with God can be viewed as God our creator, Master, Judge, Redeemer, and Savior.  But the most revealing truth is that your Almighty God yearns to be your Friend.  In Eden, God’s ideal relationship  with Adam and Eve was an intimate friendship and He wants the same with you.  Adam and Eve delighted in God, and He delighted in them. 

Moses and Abraham were called “friends of God” while David, Job, Enoch, and Noah also enjoyed intimate friendships with God.  Friendship with God was not common in the Old Testament but Jesus changed all that.  Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, the temple veil, symbolizing our separation from God, was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available. 

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”  “All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends.” (2 Cor. 5:18 TEV)

In John 15:15 Jesus reveals that He updated our relationship status with God to “friend” and no longer “servant.”  The word for friend in this verse does not mean a casual acquaintance but rather that of a best man at a wedding or a member of the king’s inner circle of intimate trusted friends.  It was someone with direct access to confidential information - a close friend.  

God is passionate about His relationship with you and says, “If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me…. These are the things that please me.” (Jer. 9:24 TEV)  Let’s discuss now the practical steps to becoming a close friend of God:

Through constant conversation.
Attending church regularly or even having a daily quiet time is not enough to grow a close relationship with God.  More than just an appointment in our schedule, He wants to be included in every activity, every conversation, every problem, and even every thought of your day.  Including God in this way qualifies as “praying without ceasing” as mentioned in 1 These. 5:17.  Everything you  do can be “spending time with God” if He is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of His presence.  In Eden, worship was not an event to attend, but rather a constant attitude.  Because God is with you all the time, no place is any closer to God than the place where you are right now.

Through focused words.
Another practical way to “pray without ceasing” is to breath simple prayer phrases throughout your day such as: “You are with me,” “I’m depending on you,” “I trust you now.” These short prayers will become rooted in your heart giving you a constant awareness of His presence with you.  Just as musicians practice scales every day in order to play beautiful music with ease, you must force yourself to think about God at different times in your day.  Train your mind to remember God and to commune with Him as your friend.  

Another practical help is posting notes of encouragement to yourself or setting a watch or cell phone alarm to read or speak His Word over your life.  Your goal is a continual awareness of the reality that God is always present in your life.  Doing so, will set you on the course to having a close friendship with God in which you truly delight in Him.

Prayer

“Thank you Lord for restoring our friendship through Jesus.
Just like Moses and Abraham, I want to be your close friend.
I will speak with you regularly throughout my day.
In my activities, problems, struggles, and thoughts, I will include you.
I will purposefully speak your Word over my life.
I will be aware of Your presence at all times.
Thank you for considering me your friend.
I cherish that relationship and promise to cultivate it.
In Jesus’ Name.”