Does Jesus consider you a friend?
God created human beings because He wanted to have a close relationship with us. In the Old Testament, the Lord referred to "Abraham my friend" (Isaiah 41:8). And "the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend" (Exodus 33:11).
There is no greater privilege than to be a friend of God. No one is more dependable or trustworthy than God, and no one loves you more than God. Thankfully, God is willing to meet with His children as often as we like.
When the Father sent His only Son to Earth on a rescue mission, God took things to a whole new level. Jesus is 100% God and 100% Man, and He "humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:8) This was the mission His Father had given Him to complete, so that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
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Jesus told His disciples, "Greater love has no one than this, that one 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" (John 15:13-15).
In order to become one of Jesus' friends, it is necessary to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior through faith. "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). It is only children of God who become friends of Jesus.
Are you a child of God? Do you trust Christ alone as your Savior from sin, or are you attempting to work your way into Heaven? The Bible informs us that we can only be saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus. "Clearly no one is justified before God by the Law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith'" (Galatians 3:11). Nevertheless, the majority of people attempt to earn their entrance into Heaven, and their flawed approach fails every time.
So, does Jesus consider you a friend? Are you relying upon His death on the cross to wash away your sins? Do you seek to obey the Lord's commands, not in order to be saved, but because you have already been saved? All of Jesus' friends want to obey Him and do God's will. This is one thing that marks a child of God. Followers of Christ want to obey the Lord in everything they do.
Like everyone else, you will stand before Jesus on Judgment Day. And I assure you that you will want Jesus to be friendly toward you on that day. Therefore, it is necessary to come to Christ today as you humble yourself before the "King of kings." (Revelation 17:14) If you refuse to become a child of God and a friend of Jesus, then you will leave the Lord no other option on Judgment Day than to say to you, "Depart from me. I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23).
If you are not yet a friend of Jesus, what is holding you back? Fear? Guilt? Unbelief? "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). When a person has faith in Christ, he or she trusts Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. So, do you trust yourself for salvation, or are you trusting Jesus to save your soul and bring you to Heaven one day?
If you are weighed down with fear or guilt, Jesus will meet you at your point of need. The Lord will replace your fear with confidence and your guilt with peace. But only if you come to Him and bare your soul before Him. You must get real with God in order to have a relationship with Him. It is the only way to know God and to develop a friendship with Jesus. Honesty, contrition, authenticity, confession of sin, sincerity, repentance and humility are all part of the equation as we come to the Lord with our whole heart, soul and mind.
God often uses deep pain in a Christian's life to produce perseverance and character within us, which the Lord then uses to bless others in a variety of ways. A good example is Joseph Scriven, an Irish-born Canadian poet. Scriven wrote the Christian hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," as a poem in 1855.
"Scriven's life was full of tragedy. His fiancée drowned the night before their wedding in 1845, and he moved to Canada to get away. While in Canada, he became engaged to another woman, but she died of pneumonia before they could marry."
"Once when Joseph became ill, a friend who was visiting with him discovered a poem near his bed and asked who had written it. Scriven said, 'The Lord and I did it between us.' He thought the poem would, perhaps, bring some spiritual comfort to his Mom, who still lived in Ireland. Scriven had not intended that anyone else should see it."
The beloved hymn has brought comfort to millions, with lyrics that sooth the soul:
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
So, does Jesus consider you a friend? If not, you can receive Christ by faith today and begin a friendship with your Creator that will last throughout eternity.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
