We are building a relationship with Jesus when we obey what God commands us to do. Jesus says as much: “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). It’s not just enough to listen to God tell us what’s on His heart-including His counsel and corrections for us-we also must do what He confides in us. Do we trust the rebukes of our Friend, who always knows better than us? Similarly, God rebukes us from time to time when we aren’t walking right, because He loves us and desires us to grow in maturity. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6). For “etter is open rebuke than hidden love. We wouldn’t like for them to only tell us what tickles our ears. It may hurt us for a while, but we know that they care for us and want to see us grow. There are also times when our friends would correct us out of love.
A measure of how much we are a friend to God is how much we find joy in the pleasantness of His counsel to us in His Word. When our close friends give us good, sincere counsel, we appreciate them deeply for it. When we read the counsel of God in the Bible, do we see it as tedious rules to follow, or do we delight in His wise instructions to us? Check out this verse: “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice” (Proverbs 27:9). Rejoice at His counsel and trust His corrections Just as friends would listen attentively to what each other are saying, so we, too, can cultivate our friendship with Jesus when we pay close attention to what He reveals to us about the Father’s business.Ĥ. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). Listen to Him tell us what’s on His heartĪnd this is why Jesus tells us, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Friendship with God does not mean we lose a sense of reverence for Him after all, God is the Lord of lords and King of kings.Īs we befriend our King with reverence, He will confide in us what’s upon His heart.ģ. After all, what does it look like to revere a friend? One way that helped me think about this was to imagine what it’s like to make friends with a king. When we think in terms of human relationship, this may be difficult to understand. The Bible says, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (Psalm 25:14, ESV). While we can enjoy closeness with God, our intimacy with Him is also built on a deep reverence for Him.
Isn’t that how we would cultivate closeness with our friends, too? Likewise, we need to regularly meet with God and spend quality time to get to know Him more intimately. Nothing fosters my intimacy with God more than spending time with God alone-meeting Him face to face, as it were. Scripture records that “he Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Exodus 33:11). Here are 8 ways you can grow your friendship with God I hope the following things I’ve learned from the Bible will challenge you, as it has inspired and challenged me, to grow in your friendship with God. He may call us His friends, but do we consider Him to be our Friend? Who are we that the Creator of heaven and earth, the Alpha and the Omega, would desire a friendship with us? It’s mind-blowing! As I meditated on this, I also reflected on what it means to be Jesus’ friend. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. You are my friends if you do what I command. One of the most famous verses about friendship with Jesus is from John 15:13-15, where Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. While preparing for a talk on this subject recently however, I had the occasion to think about God as my Friend, and what friendship with God means. I know some people worry that we might become over-familiar with God and lose a sense of reverence for Him if we think of God as our Friend.
However, I realized I don’t often say that God is my friend. I love relating to God as Father, and I worship Him as King I want to obey Jesus, my Lord and Savior and I desire to listen to the Holy Spirit as a Counselor and Teacher to me.
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