Friend or Acquaintance - Fresh Life Tools

Friend or Acquaintance?

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 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. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. 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. 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. This is my command: Love each other.) (NIV) John 15:9-17

I have always wanted to know God, even as a very young child. I can remember taking my pillow and placing it in the windowsill. I would lay down with my head on my pillow and look up at the sky and talk to God. I remember very clearly one night saying to God, “I know you have something for me to do, and I will go anywhere to do it. I will be a missionary if that is what you want. I love you God, and I want to please you.” This type of a conversation would transpire between God and I often. Even back then, I wanted to talk with God.

I wish, I could tell you that my life was always pleasing to God, but I can’t. There have been many times, I have grieved Him terribly. For reasons I cannot understand or fathom, God has always had His hand “nearby” comforting and somehow protecting me from the worst of fates. As far as I’m concerned, God should have turned His back and walked away from me on many occasions. But thank you Jesus, He did not! Because, you see He has always been my friend, even when I wasn’t His! Why? Because He is faithful and He is merciful, and I praise Him for that!

What I’m about to tell you was one of the most marvelous moments in my walk with God.

God had placed in me a desire to walk in obedience and to hear His voice many years before this moment happened. I wanted very badly to hear God and walk in obedience; I just didn’t know how to go about it. But, in June of 1994, I was determined to find out. One thing I was sure of, it wasn’t to be found just by reading the Word and praying and going to church. There was more, so the journey began. Here is the point I want to make right off the bat, but remember this journey began in June of ‘94. On November 11, 1996, at 8:53am, God through His Son Jesus, said the following to me. “This is a new day, a new beginning in your walk with Me. Our relationship just took a turn for the better, you have deepened your relationship with Me. I have wanted it to be this way for a long time. We are now friends! You are now My friend!”

When I heard God say that to me, I very quickly called my discipler to test it! God confirmed to her, I was accurate in what I heard Him say. She was ecstatic!

Here is the point, in all my talks with God prior to this, He never made mention that I was His friend. Why? Because I had not proved myself worthy to be His friend. Can I back all of this up with scripture? YES!

“You are my friends IF you do what I command. 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”. (NIV) John 15:14-15

Jesus was at that point calling His disciples His friends! This moment was totally at the end of His ministry, in fact it was after Judas had been excused from the table after their last supper together, prior to His arrest. The disciples had been with Jesus for quite a long time, long enough to prove themselves trustworthy to their Master! You see we may have the longing and desire to be God’s friend, but we must prove ourselves.

Jesus was always the disciple’s friend. He spent long hours with them showing love to them, caring for them, teaching them, and helping them get themselves cleaned up. Their baggage had to go! What do I mean by cleaned up? They were no different than any of us, they had hang-ups, wrong perspectives, and problems, perhaps with their wives, children, or in-laws. They needed to be, “transformed by the renewing of their minds” just like we must! They had doubts, frustrations, and God had to remold and make them. They were fully in the potter’s hands during this time, twenty-four hours a day to be exact.

Did you know Jesus had to stay up all night with them on many occasions teaching them? He had to. Because, the Father had other things He wanted accomplished the next day that could not wait! How do I know this? Jesus told me.

Jesus was the perfect role model of a “godly” friend to them. How do we know He was a perfect friend to them? Well, of course He was Jesus! But, you see He told us when He said, “...I do nothing on My own...” (John 8:28b) By that we know He even spent time with His Father on a daily basis for instruction on how to be the perfect godly friend. Should we not do the same?

Webster Says

In Webster’s Dictionary the word friend means: A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts; a person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause: comrade. A supporter, sympathizer or patron of a group, cause, or movement.

Let’s look at the word acquaintance: Knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.

The Question Is This!

The question in this teaching is this: Do you want to be Jesus’ friend, or His acquaintance? We will never be His friend just by reading the Word, we will know about Him, but we will NOT know Him! We will never know Him just by praying “to” Him. Why? That is just talking “at” someone, that is not even conversation, a real conversation is a spoken “exchange” of thoughts, and feelings.

So, What Is It Going to Be?

So, what is it going to be? Friend or acquaintance? If you wanted to be someone’s friend and you wanted them to consider you their friend, how would you start getting to know this person?

Since Jesus is our friend, and you wanted to become His friend, what kind of questions would you ask Him?

Example: What kind of things do you like? What do you like to do? What makes you happy? What is important to you? What do you want for your birthday?

You will never become someone’s friend, just by reading about them. There must be conversation. The following is a true story.

“...Like This Little Child...” I have a friend, who has an eight-year-old daughter. One day just before Christmas, my friend was talking with, and teaching her children about the importance of being God’s friend. My friend asked her children to go into their room and sit with God and ask Him about His likes and dislikes and even what He wanted for His birthday. Basically, she told them to ask God the same questions we just did in our discussion group. However, before we go any further, let us look at the following verses in the written Word.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. (NIV) Matthew 18:1-5

As we look at this excerpt from a child’s conversation with God, may we learn!

“Jesus, what do you like to do?”

“I like to help People.”

“I like to talk to people about their problems.”

“I like to turn people’s lives around “

“Jesus, what is your favorite thing to do?”

“My favorite thing to do is to love people.”

“Jesus, what do you want for your birthday?”

“I want people to be my friend.”

“I want people to stop answering for me!”

“What I really want is for people to stop listening to themselves!”

Excerpt from a conversation with Jesus, 8-year-old girl, Pompano, Beach Florida, 1997.

(sw-h)