Dec 05

Friendship can have various levels and also reveal much about us. The old saying goes that a person is known by the friends he keeps. For Jesus, who is God, to call us his friends is a high honor indeed. It means that God has deemed us worthy of being the ones on whom he will pour out his love and to whom he will share the secrets of his heart. To be called a friend of God is no small matter.

But what is it, exactly, that enables one to receive this cherished title? What does God look for in someone of whom he can say, "This is my friend"?

Psalm 25:14 says that the friendship of the Lord is with those that fear him. Reverence for God opens the way for friendship with him.

Reverence or fear of God must be accompanied by trust in him, however. What sort of friendship can exist between two people if there is no trust? So it is that Scripture calls Abraham God's friend because he believed God. Abraham believed that he would have a child in his old age simply because it was God who told him this. He also trusted God when told to sacrifice that child after he was born. God stopped the sacrifice and honored Abraham's faith by calling him a friend of God (James 2:23).

Scripture for today: James 2:23, 24
Thought for today: There can be no friendship with God without faith.
Prayer for today: I believe in you, Lord. Thank you for calling me your friend.

DEC 05