DAILY DEVOTION No. 12

Prov. 17:17 -  “A friend loves at all times…”

John 15:14-15 - "You are my friends if you do what I command. 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." 

A friend is: 1) someone you love; 2) someone you think about when they are not there; 3) brought to your thoughts when you see something they like. True friendship is to totally accept and love a person and stand behind them no matter what. Some people complain about not having any friends but Dale Carnegie sums it up well with his statement, "You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to be one. "

What Are The Signs Of True Friendship?

i) They Are Pleased To Be In Each Others’ Company At All Times.

They are not ashamed to be with their friend and ready to praise and honour them in front of others. In respect to God's Kingdom, are you proud to wear the tag of Christian? Are you ready to praise Jesus in front of others or are you ashamed to let others know in public? If we truly love Him we should praise and honour Him before others.

ii) They Are Able To Overlook Things That Would Normally Tick Them Off Because Of Their Friendship.

Even if there is a need to bring each other into line and speak the truth in love if either of them have a wrong attitude or are doing something that is displeasing, they are able to do so because of relationship. Prov. 27:6 says “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”. In other words, true friendship is when two people can teach, correct and admonish each other and speak in to each other's lives without any offence taken. Jesus overlooks and faults and failings but loves us enough to bring discipline and correction when we deserve it.

iii) They Are Constantly In Our Thoughts And Our Conversation. 

We talk about our friend to others – what they did today, where they have been, what they are planning for the future. Are you ready to talk about Jesus to others? 1 Peter 3:15 says "Sanctify the Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you."

iv) They are vulnerable before each other.  

Friendship requires us being transparent with each other, removing all masks and hidden agendas. Being willing to share ourselves is a key to building intimacy.

v) They don’t just confide secret sorrows, but they tell you our secret joys

True friendship is more than sharing our upsets and disappointments. If a friendship was made up of only the sharing of ones problems and gripes, the friendship wouldn't last at all. Unfortunately, this is how we can tend to treat God. At the early stages of our Christian walk, we are always approaching God with our requests, but God wants to take us beyond that into a deeper relationship where we get in touch with His purposes.

How Do We Build A Deep Friendship With God?

a) By Communicating With Him – God in our life can remain as an acquaintance because a proper level of communication isn’t established. It isn’t until we share our heart and He shares His heart with us that a bond of friendship is established. Abraham was a “Friend of God” (James 2:23) because he had a relationship of constant communication with the Lord. In Genesis 18:17 we read, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing” then in Verse 19, “For I have known Him”. If we don’t speak to God through prayer and then allow Him to speak to us through His Word and His servants, we will remain as mere acquaintances.

b) By Spending Time With Them  

It has been said that your company will shape your conduct, your conduct will shape your character and eventually, your character will shape your destiny. This is true of our relationship with God. If we keep close company with Him, He will shape our conduct and this will shape our character and eventually our destiny. Our friendship with the Lord will only be developed by spending time with Him. We cannot get to know Him with just a brief encounter. There must be face-to-face contact with Him where we get to understand His joys, His sorrows, His likes and dislikes.

God wants to be our friend and abide with us even more than we want to be with Him. Jesus said, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” – John 15:9. Abiding means more of Him in our activities, thoughts and desires. Too often in our rush to perform for God, we fail to simply enjoy His company. We must guard against being an expert at serving God, but remaining a novice at being His friend. A brief meeting with God every now and then, or when we have a need, is not enough. We must build intimacy by spending time with the Lord.

c) We Build Friendship With God By Being Obedient To His Commands

There are a lot of people who want to be a friend of God within a very narrow range of obedience. Are you ready to do whatever He tells you? "You will know you are close to the heart of God when what grieves your heart is the same thing that grieves His."

Challenge

Are you just an acquaintance with God or are you building ongoing intimacy? We must make a choice to keep ourselves in the love of God by prayer, worship and reading His Word. We must set aside a place where we can meet with Him daily.

Prayer

Lord, help me to build a deeper relationship with you. I pray that as I take time out to meet with You, You would help me to keep to our daily appointment and I would experience Your love and presence like never before. 

Rod Best