Jesus Calls Me Friend | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Jesus Calls Me Friend | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sherri Ward
04/08/05
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I am so very glad Jesus calls me friend. Jesus said, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15) The word friends, as it is used here, is from the Greek word philos, meaning beloved, dear, friendly. It denotes the very special love He has for us. How amazing, that God would call us friends, and that He would communicate with us as His friend, not His slave.
What does God say to His friends? He tells us many things, from giving us scriptures and songs that bring comfort and delight our souls to simply giving us instruction in daily living. My sense of awe that God would speak to me is sometimes followed by a wondering response, “God, is that really you? Because I am not sure You would say that. I am not sure what you mean.” For example, one night I was struggling with a very difficult situation, but the Holy Spirit whispered, “I will come in the morning.” I wasn’t sure at all that Jesus was coming back in the morning, but my situation seemed hopeless, so in a way, I wished He was. It wasn’t until the next morning when singing in the shower about joy coming in the morning that I got it. It’s joy! Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5)

God takes time to comfort me, to warn me about situations, and to give me guidance – all through the ways He speaks to me, calling me and treating me as His friend. I find it significant that over and over in the Old Testament, we find God speaking through His prophets to His people, saying, “If only you would listen to Me!”

I am not always the one to speak first. He shows up in my day through quiet whispers – I usually know it’s Him because what He says is not what I was thinking. It’s a little ‘thought’ that seems to come from nowhere, and only after contemplation do I realize it is from Him. I know it’s Him when I find it true to His Word. I know it’s Him when He confirms it in other ways.

What could be better than to have an open, trusting communication with God, the very Creator of all, through His Son, Jesus? What could be better than to have God call us friends?

Scripture references: New American Standard Bible

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