TOPIC: A FRIEND OF GOD? - March 16, 2015
Memorise: Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. - John 15:14
Read: John 15:13-15
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Message
There are believers who know God, and there are those who claim to know God. Those who are friends of God will go all the way to do as He commands, no matter the sacrifice and pain required. In Genesis 5:22-24, it was repeated twice that Enoch walked with God. He walked with God to the point of no return. The friendship was so tight that God had to tell him, "There is no point remaining on earth again; let us continue our friendship in heaven!" God and Enoch were lovebirds.
A young boy in a Sunday School class gave an interesting perspective of this friendship. This boy said, whenever God visited Enoch and He was about to leave, Enoch will escort God, and when it was time for Enoch to return home, God would do the same. Eventually, one day, after several repetitions of this exercise, Enoch escorted God so close to Heaven that God told him to walk with Him into Heaven. As childish as this may sound, there are lots of lessons and revelations in what this boy said. The desire to maintain intimate friendship with man has been there with God from the very beginning of creation. God is looking for people to bless; people who will do His will and enjoy His benefits. To partner with the Almighty God, you must dislodge certain traits in your life. All those things that are capable of limiting the closeness of your relationship with your Maker must be taken care of.
Do you want to enjoy the kind of relationship that existed between God and Abraham? Do you want to be a friend of God? Then it is time to sit up. It is time to get serious with your salvation. You can't be a friend of God when you are still tolerating some nonsense in your life, because God cannot behold iniquity. After 24 years of lack of seriousness, God warned Abraham to sit up. No more Lot. No more hanging around with Hagar. There is no one who partners with God and remains the same. They become role models. If you desire a meaningful relationship with God, you can no longer be fooling around with that strange woman. You can no longer be courting that wrong relationship. You cannot afford to continue going where unbelievers meet to entice one another to sin (Psalm 1:1). No more lukewarmness and spiritual slothfulness (Revelation 3:15-16). No more disloyalty or lack of commitment.
You must be ready to go all the way. If your love for Him will count at all, it must put a demand on your heart, might and strength. No more helping yourself with church resources kept in your trust. No more seduction of young girls. No more jealousy or envying your colleagues. No more hatred for others. No more cheating of God in the payment of your tithes and offerings. No more using substandard materials when you have been mobilised to buy the best. No more pulling others down simply because you want to climb up.
Key Point: Those who love God will never recover from His blessings.
Bible in one year: Daniel 4:4-5:12, Matthew 2:1-18
SOURCE: OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL, VOLUME 15, 2015
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