God uses Scripture in many ways. He reveals Jesus, teaches us how to live, shows us glimpses of the future, convicts us of sin, and tells us how to be saved.
The other day, while reading and thinking about the day’s passage, Proverbs 18:24, I started thinking about friendship with God. During my contemplation, I realized something about myself (more on that later).
Now, you’ve probably heard the song, “Friend Of God.” Back in Florida, our worship team arranged a rock-styled version. The lyrics declare, “I am a friend of God, he calls me friend!” Yes, God does call us friend (and son/daughter). The question is: do we call God our friend?
Friends Cherish the Relationship
What is a friend? A friend is someone who is there with you, beside you. Friends do things together. Friends listen to each other.
God is there for us, beside us. He does things with us, even helping us through things. God listens to us. God is a good friend (and an even better father).
God cherishes his relationship with us. Do we reciprocate, though?
As I was reading and dwelling on the passage and the nature of friendship, I realized something about myself: I don’t always cherish friendship with God.
When We Don’t Feel Close Enough to God
Yes, there are times when I start living for myself. I’m human. I make mistakes. That’s no excuse, though, for my sin.
When I start focusing on my own situation, on my own feelings, and on my own desires, I begin to put God on the back burner. He becomes less important as I become more important. This is when, through my thoughts and actions, I start to devalue my friendship with God, maybe even take it for granted.
I start to realize this most often when I read God’s word. As I read, if I’ve started forsaking my relationship with him, God convicts me, filling me with a sense of loss. I feel like God is further away from me or, more accurately, that I’m further away from him.
We are the Ones Who Walk Away, God is the one Who Restores
Remember the story of the prodigal son? The son demanded his inheritance, went to live his life his own way, then came back humiliated at what he’d done. His father welcomed his son home, forgave him, and restored the relationship the son broke.
When God feels far away, it’s not God that left us; we are the ones who walked away from God.
Through Scripture, God reminded me that I need to cherish my relationship with him every moment of every day, not just when I read the Bible. He also reminded me that he is a friend who is closer than a brother.
God is a good friend. Even when we drift away, God is still a good friend. When we realize our sin, repent, and seek the Savior, God restores that relationship.
We Need to Cherish our Friendship with God
God truly is a friend who is closer than a brother. God cherishes that relationship so much that he sent Jesus to shed his blood so that we can, once again, be God’s friend. The question for us is this: do we cherish our friendship even half as much as God?
Take some time today – right now – to examine your relationship with Jesus. Do you truly value it every moment of every day? Do you long to be with God?
Maybe God feels far away. Now’s the time to call out to him. God is a friend and father who will restore your relationship with him through Jesus.
Christianity is a daily journey, a moment-by-moment walk with Jesus. Don’t let a moment pass by when you don’t long for the Savior.
