Friends of God

                                 

     Sometimes when we first start out living this new life in Christ we can tend to feel lonely as we give up the ways and people of our past; especially, if we have not yet made new Christian friends. But God’s word tells us that we have a friend in Jesus, He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24) and we can count on Him—always. Also God’s word says, “God sets the lonely in families…” Psalm 68:6 (NIV). Even if you are single or living alone you are never really alone because you are now a member of God’s family so you now have many brothers and sisters.

     When studying God’s word remember that all of the accounts and stories in the bible are true and actually happened unless Jesus was speaking in parables which He did to His disciples and the multitudes that followed Him to help explain something they might not otherwise understand. So when we read the story of Abraham and how he trusted and obeyed God we can see in scriptures of the Old and New Testament that God considered and even called Abraham His friend! James 2:23 (NKJV) “And the scripture was fulfilled which says ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.” Also in Isaiah 41:8 (NIV) it says, “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend.” The promises and privileges of Abraham are also for us today. Wow! I don’t know about you but if I have God Almighty as my friend then how can I possibly be lonely?

      If God and His family are new to you then you might be thinking how can God be my friend when He is my Creator and my God? Here is the truth—God is many things to us who live for and serve Him and I encourage you to read and study His word and you will discover that for yourself. To those who know God well this is a truth in our life and we understand, embrace and proclaim it to others. God is everything to us!

     He is also our friend and we can turn to Him for friendship and companionship and we can know that He is always going to be there, not like the friends we’ve had in the world and in the past, but a friend who doesn’t skip out when things get rough or are not going just the way they want them to. Isn’t that what true friends do? Don’t they hang in there when everyone else has fled? Aren’t true friends the ones who we call upon during the worse possible times? Friends who are good and close friends don’t abandon us because we have been moody or less than pleasant and they are forgiving when we ask for forgiveness but don’t deserve it. Good friends don’t constantly find and dwell on our faults while never seeing the best in us. We all have some good in us, now that God has put His goodness in us, and a friend will look and FIND our rights not our wrongs and they will let us know that on a regular basis.

 Let me tell you, the only place you are going to find friends like that is God and His family. You will not find them in the world because so called friends in the world have ulterior motives when seeking your friendship and they are always going to want something in return for the friendship they offer you, if that is even what to call it—friendship?! In the darkness of addiction people think sharing in their sin or party supplies is an act of friendship, but is it? It is not. They will act as though they want nothing in return but they will expect you to supply them when their supply runs dry and they will remind you of how much they sacrificed to and for you. They weigh and measure the friendship by deeds done to and for each other, reminding you of things they did for you that you don’t even remember or the actual events didn’t happen the way they see it and it was actually you who did the good deed for them?! Does any of this sound familiar? That is not true friendship either, it is the world’s way of showing and expressing friendship, but it is not true friendship and when we have finally known what a real friend is we can finally understand and see that we never actually had friends in the world of addiction. They are what I consider “drug buddies”, “addiction companions”, and “drinking partners”; some were even “enemies” in the guise of friends.

     I think that might be how or why that old cliche' got started, “with friends like that who needs enemies?” It’s true though, and it is heart wrenching when you think you have a friend and you find out in the middle of a crisis that this person you viewed as such a good and close friend has nothing to offer you. They can’t offer you comfort the way God can, His word says in 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NKJV) He is the ”… God of all comfort.” He can and will comfort you the way you wanted your worldly friends to but they didn’t and couldn’t because they didn’t know Him.

     These so called friends ditched you when you needed them the most and they didn't care that you not only needed them but that you were devastated by their abandonment. Friends of addiction will turn on you when you were so sure they never would and they will also turn the wrong done to you into an infraction against them. Yes, when you needed someone the most they not only fled but also turned others against you. Does any of this sound or seem familiar? If you have lived in the world of addiction I know this is so familiar to you that it probably even brings up some of that old pain and hurt. Only dwell on the pain long enough to remind yourself that you don’t want the friendship that the world of addiction offers because it is not true friendship and there is no sense in missing any of that or those people—it didn’t and won’t last, and now you can say thank God for that!

     It is a matter of letting even the meaning of friendship become newly created in your heart and life.

     God Almighty and our Lord Jesus are your new best friends and they will never leave you, forsake you, abandon you or turn on you. The best part is they don’t have some crazy conditions or purpose for pursuing you as a friend, they are simply and completely your friend with no ulterior motives. Doesn’t that sound great and haven’t you wanted a friend like that all of your life? You have one in Jesus. Embrace this new friendship and call on Him to show you how to have a friendship that is true and real and worth all the effort put into it.

    

     The other really great thing about God’s family is when you begin to pursue friendships in the body of Christ you can know that your friends in Christ will literally be the best friends you have ever had. They are friends who will be there for you, and support you, and help you, and instead of turn on you they will pray for you. Now don’t get me wrong people are people so I am not saying you will never again be hurt by people but what I am saying is that your closest friend Jesus and God the Father will lead you into good, safe and healthy Christian friendships if you ask and are obedient to what and who God directs you to. 

     When you are feeling lonely and you haven’t yet made some good Christian friends just talk to God, thank Him that He was a friend of Abraham and He is also a friend of yours. Thank Him that His word and the promises in His word are for you right now, today. Jesus is your friend, the one who sticks closer than a brother so talk to Him as such and tell Him that you want to make and have new friends in the family of God and I assure you that He will bring them into your life and you can learn how to not only have, but also be, a real true friend because now your best friend is God. There is no better friend in the secular world or the Christian world so trust Him and He will bring many new and “true” friends into your life.  

     Hallelujah, we are friends of God!

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