Best Friends - November 2002

Most church people have heard Jesus described as their best friend. We are told in church that our relationship with Him should be as close and as intimate as the relationship that we have with our best friend. We should be as in tune with God as we are with our best friend. We should know what things are important to God like we know the important things in the lives of our close friends and family. We should know what God wants for us like we know the expectations a friend has for us. I see a major problem with this idea, it is called today’s lifestyle.

With today’s lifestyle we really need to forget about being as close to God as we are to our best friend. It just is not acceptable. We all have weeks full of activities. There are baseball leagues, soccer matches, football games, basketball games, ballet, gymnastics, dance classes, trips to the gym, errands to the store, church events, church activities, church meetings, shopping, doctor appointments, and hobbies in addition to a week already full of work or school. There are yards to mow, flowers to plant, kids to help out, homework to finish, laundry to do, meals to prepare, and somewhere in the middle of all of this we have to sleep. It is very common for us to not speak or see those close to us for long periods of time. The real truth of the matter is that we are generally not really that close to many people today and if we are no closer to God than we are to most of our friends we really have a terrible relationship with Him. The real key is for us to be closer to God than we are to our spouse, or our parents, or our siblings, or our children, or even our best friend.

God is not satisfied with being as close to you as you are to your best friend. He wants to be intimately involved with your life moment to moment. He wants to be far closer to you than you would ever be to another human. He literally wants to be knit or woven into every action and every instant of your day. That is a relationship that no human can have with you.

This week ask yourself if you are closer to God than you are to your best friend, and if you are not then correct that relationship immediately. After you do that you will find that your relationships and commitments to humans and all your human activities will improve and your life will run a lot smoother. The old idea that your friends tell the world about you is true and if you are a Christian you really should have an intimate relationship with Jesus that shows the world that you are being influenced in every action by your best friend. If you do not, then work on that one thing and allow the other things to languish or wane until you have the most important relationship healthy and flourishing. Then you can be a better friend to the world.

A Friend In Christ

John 15:9-NIV "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 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. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Return to Main November Page		Open Team Swap Main Page In New Window
	Most church people have heard Jesus described as their best friend. We are told in church that our relationship with Him should be as close and as intimate as the relationship that we have with our best friend. We should be as in tune with God as we are with our best friend. We should know what things are important to God like we know the important things in the lives of our close friends and family. We should know what God wants for us like we know the expectations a friend has for us. I see a major problem with this idea, it is called today’s lifestyle. With today’s lifestyle we really need to forget about being as close to God as we are to our best friend. It just is not acceptable. We all have weeks full of activities. There are baseball leagues, soccer matches, football games, basketball games, ballet, gymnastics, dance classes, trips to the gym, errands to the store, church events, church activities, church meetings, shopping, doctor appointments, and hobbies in addition to a week already full of work or school. There are yards to mow, flowers to plant, kids to help out, homework to finish, laundry to do, meals to prepare, and somewhere in the middle of all of this we have to sleep. It is very common for us to not speak or see those close to us for long periods of time. The real truth of the matter is that we are generally not really that close to many people today and if we are no closer to God than we are to most of our friends we really have a terrible relationship with Him. The real key is for us to be closer to God than we are to our spouse, or our parents, or our siblings, or our children, or even our best friend. God is not satisfied with being as close to you as you are to your best friend. He wants to be intimately involved with your life moment to moment. He wants to be far closer to you than you would ever be to another human. He literally wants to be knit or woven into every action and every instant of your day. That is a relationship that no human can have with you. This week ask yourself if you are closer to God than you are to your best friend, and if you are not then correct that relationship immediately. After you do that you will find that your relationships and commitments to humans and all your human activities will improve and your life will run a lot smoother. The old idea that your friends tell the world about you is true and if you are a Christian you really should have an intimate relationship with Jesus that shows the world that you are being influenced in every action by your best friend. If you do not, then work on that one thing and allow the other things to languish or wane until you have the most important relationship healthy and flourishing. Then you can be a better friend to the world. A Friend In Christ John 15:9-NIV "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 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. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.