Jesus as Friend (Part 1)
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. – John 15:13-15
“You were made for friendship with God. God does not just want us to know about him; he wants us to know him — and to experience his friendship. Jonathan Edwards urges us to “Let it be our first love to enter into an everlasting friendship with Christ that never shall be broken” The gospel calls us to trust Jesus as our Savior, submit to him as our King, and value him as our Treasure. It also calls us to enjoy him as our friend.” (“What a Friend We Have In Jesus” – Desiring God Blog)
What does this mean? Jesus is a friend who:
*Is fully committed to us – He chose us despite our rejection of him – he will never leave us or forsake us
*Is fully transparent with us – He has fully revealed God to us and is honest about who we are
*is sensitive with us – He knows exactly how to approach and engage us where we are
*gives perfect counsel – He loves us enough not to leave us where we are but guide us toward true life
*enjoys us – He isn’t bothered by us, but enjoys and wants to be with us
Knowing Jesus us as our ultimate friend, frees us to be a true friend to others. We have what we NEED in Him, so we are not overly needy or dependent on others. We also learn what a good friend is from Him and become that for others.