The Gift of Friendship
"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 15:15 ESV
I often ask guys if they think God likes them. They generally tap into some theology that they once heard and repeat, “Yes I think God loves me.” I ask them again. “Do you think God likes you? I didn’t ask you about His love. Everybody knows that He loves you for He is a God of grace. But, do you think God likes you?” Now they begin to stumble, for they are not sure. Why are they not sure?
I think the indecision on answering this question is rooted in not understanding that Christianity is not as much a religion as it is a relationship. A relationship implies something different from the rules and regulations of a religion. There are many religions in the world, but none offer an intimate, abiding friendship with God. Therefore, it is hard for a religious person, or even a person with a misunderstanding about the true nature of Christianity, to readily embrace friendship with God. There’s another obstacle.
Often our own “liking” of a friend is conditional. Think about it: Our friends only see our actions, while we see our intentions, and this goes for them as well. This conflict causes misunderstandings. With God it is different. God knows our intentions along with our actions. While we might be accurate in an appraisal of a friend’s negative intentions, we struggle with our conditional “like” of them and can’t like them because of what they are doing or did. God isn’t the same. Like God loving you and me unconditionally, He also likes us unconditionally. He still hates sin in our life. No doubt about that but He has the capability of separating our sin from the person, and still like us. That is His nature, not ours.
When you pray today, thank your Heavenly Friend for His complete acceptance of you, and the fact that He is wild about you. Yes, He likes you that much. Thank Him for His friendship, and as you pray enjoy your time as a best friend does with his best Friend. He welcomes you to it.