| Friend of God Feb. 15, 2006 |
Jam 2:23 NKJV And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. Jn 15:14 NKJV You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. What happens if someone yells out, "You're house is on fire!" Well, if you believe them, you'll act. You'll get out of there and take whoever and whatever you can with you! In order to become a friend of God, first you must believe. Second, you must act. You must do whatever He commands you to do because faith without works is dead. Faith takes us from just standing to walking. Let's look at the life of Abraham. Abraham was called a friend of God because of his faith rather than his works. Abraham's actions were only the result of his faith. His faith enabled him to leave his father's house and travel to a land unknown. His faith allowed him to go on the mountaintop to sacrifice the son that he had waited so long for. And each time, God blessed him with a miracle in return. A true friend is one that has faith in you and supports you. A friend whose loyalty you are always certain of. One that trusts you and all of their works back up their belief in you. We all have friends who will do things for us when we need them to. But there is nothing like a friend that stands behind you, no matter what. The one that lets you cry on their shoulder and vent when you've had a hard day. That friend is your personal cheerleader and coach. That friend trusts you with their secrets and you trust them with yours. That is how we should strive to be with God. We should put our trust in Him and support His visions. We should listen when he speaks and laugh and chill with Him. We should feel confident sharing our secrets with Him and He will share His secrets with us. That is a true friend. Jesus says that we are His friends if we do whatever He commands us. That is when we have to make our works line up with our faith. When a person really believes in what they are doing, they have passion. You can hear it in their voices. They can't wait to do something that shows how much they believe in it. They will tell others about it. They will contribute time to make the vision grow. They will be anxious to get back to it. Does that describe how you feel about God? Are you anxious to get back to Him? Willing to support and contribute to His vision? Telling others about Him? If you answered yes, then you are a true friend of God. If your answer is no, and you would like to make a change, please open your heart to the Savior today and ask Him to be your friend. I hope you enjoyed reading the word of God in a new light. Have a Happy Wednesday! God Bless, Min. Tommy & Sis. Shatika Gray Scripture References Jam 2:23 (The Message) The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." James 2:14, 18, 20, 26 NKJV 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. |