GOD'S FRIENDSHIP

THURSDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2022

When you take the faith, the love and the communion you have with God seriously, God will always respond to you with His heartfelt companionship. The highest moments of our Christian lives on earth, is lived with the consciousness of knowing that we're God's favourite and special possession and also, we must do well to operate accordingly.

Reference: Psalm 25:14 English Standard Version (ESV) "The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant."

Every born again Christian who faithfully delights himself in the Lord is considered wholly as the Lord's friend by the strongest bond. Friendship with God starts with being united to Christ as one spirit, because we are bought with a price of unspeakable value. God's covenant with those that fear Him refers to His mind and counsels, or His secrets made known to them, which is foreign to others, especially those outside Christ.

Our level of commitment to God matters. For instance, Abraham was called a friend of God because He was a loyal worshipper and follower of God and so received His guidance at will. Due to his resolute and unswerving commitment to God, Abraham kept abreast with what God was doing. Credibly, in Genesis 18:17, The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do..."' (ESV). No wonder the Bible says, "The intimate counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him so they may know His covenant" (Psalm 25:14 ISV).

In John 15:15, Jesus said, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (NKJV). Indeed, the secret and the wise counsel of the Lord are with those who fear Him. In other words, as friends, He will always let them know His covenant and reveal its deep, inner meaning to them through His Word and other sacred means.

Beloved, God's favours and comforts accompany His friendship and we can experience them because we fear Him. Job 29:4 says, "When I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent" (BSB). God's friendship is the secret of stable and perpetual joy. It is the assurance that the Lord is for you and with you, and so you ought to function with the awareness of His harmonious attachment and fondness resting upon you.

Proverbs 3:32 (KJV) reads, "For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous." The Lord pays so much attention to the righteous and His secrets are revealed to them, as well as open to their heart's meditations. He cares so much about those He has set apart for His purpose with reference to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is because, when we believed in Christ, He came to live in our spirit. Through Christ, God reveals Himself more to those who love, fear Him and live by His Word. Now it's much more than friendship because His ever-increasing glory can penetrate and shine through our entire being which denotes "oneness" with the Lord. And the One who lives in us is our hope of such glorious activity upon our heart or inner man (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV).

May we make it a serious business, in our "everyday" lives and in the details of our Christian faith, to continually foster a close and intimate friendship with God, in a more stable manner (through holy living, constant prayer and Word meditations), than men do with their own friends. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 18:24; John 15:14; Proverbs 17:17; 1 Corinthians 2:16.

Guided Prayer: Thank you Father for your inexhaustible love which you demonstrate in my life through my intimate union with Christ. Your instruction and friendship are the secret of my ever-calm rewarding experiences. Day by day, I gain the opportunity to grow in your boundless grace through the Holy Spirit at work in my life. As I do, Christ expresses Himself more fully through me, to your glory in Jesus' Name, Amen!