Become God’s Friend (3)

‘...I have called you friends...’ John 15:15 NKJV

If you’re serious about becoming God’s friend you must choose to obey Him! Jesus said, ‘If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…’ (John 15:10 NKJV) You say, ‘But if I fail, does that mean God won’t love me?’ No, it means you won’t feel His love, or have confidence when you approach Him in prayer. We normally think of obedience as a characteristic of our relationship to a parent, a boss or a superior officer, not a friend. But Jesus said, ‘You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.’ (John 15:14 NKJV) True friendship isn’t passive, it acts. When Jesus asks us to love people, help the needy, give our finances, live clean lives, extend forgiveness and bring others to Him-our love should motivate us to obey immediately! Great opportunities usually come once or twice in a lifetime, but small ones come every day. Through simple acts of obedience we bring a smile to God’s face. ‘…What pleases the Lord more… sacrifices or obedience…? It is better to obey…’ (1 Samuel 15:22 NCV) At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, God announced, ‘…This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Matthew 3:17 NKJV) So, what had Jesus been doing for 30 years that pleased God? The Bible says nothing except that He lived at home with His parents and ‘…was obedient to them.’ (Luke 2:51 NLT). Thirty years of pleasing God were summed up in two words: ‘lived obediently’! And the relationship Jesus had with His Father is an example of the one He wants you to have with Him.