DAY 11
BECOMING BEST FRIENDS WITH GOD
Since we were restored to a friendship with God by the death of His Son
while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from
eternal punishment by His life. Romans 5:10 (NLT)
God wants to be your best friend.
Your relationship to God has many aspets: Creator, Father, Lord and Master,
Redeemer, Savior and Judge and much more. But the most shocking truth is
that his Almighty God yearns to be your friend!
Adam and Eve enjoyed an intimate relationship,ideal, with God in Eden.
An intimate friendship. There were no rituals, ceremonies or religions - just
a simple loving relationship between God and the people He created. Unhindered
by guilt or fear, Adam and Eve delighted in God and He in them.
We were made to live in God's continual Presence but after the Fall that
ideal relationship was lost. Fear of God not friendship was the norm in the
Old Testament. Then Jesus changed the situation. When He paid for our
sins on the cross, the veil in the temple was rent in two showing that direct
access to God was again possible. ..... we can now approach God any time.
"Now we can rejoice with our wonderful new relationship with God - all
because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends
of God". Romans 5:11 (NLT)
Friendship with God is only possible through the grace and sacrifice of
Jesus Christ. "All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us
from His enemies into His friends". 2 Corinthians 5:18a (TEV)
God invites us to enjoy friendship and fellowship with all three persons of
the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
1 John 1:3; 1 Corinthians l:9; and 2 Corinthians 13:14.
That God would want me for a close friend is hard to understand but
"He is a God who is passionate about His relationship with you". Exodus 34:14
(NLT)
God deeply desires that we know Him intimately. In fact, He planned the
universe and orchestrated history, including the details of our lives, so that
we could become His friends. "He made the entire human race, and made
the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could
seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but acutally find
Him". Acts 17: 26-27 (Msg)
Knowing and loving God is our greatest priviledge and being known and
loved is God's greatest pleasure. "If any wants to boast, they should boast
that they know and understand Me ...These are the things that pleases Me".
Jeremiah 9:24
BECOMING A BEST FRIEND OF GOD
Through constant conversation. Friendship with God is built by sharing all
your life experiences with Him. He wants to be included in every activity,
every conversation, every problem, and even every thought. You can
carry on a continuous open-end conversation with Him all day, talking
about whatever you are doing or thinking at that moment. Praying
without ceasing (l Thessalonians 5:17) means conversing with God whilst
shopping, working, playing, or performing any other everyday task.
Everything you do can be spending time with God if He is invited to be
a part of it and you are aware of His Presence. The classic book on
learning how to develop a constant conversation with God is Practising
the Presence of God. It was written in the 17th C by Brother Lawrence,
a humble cook in a French monastery. Brother Lawrence was able
to turn the most common and menial everyday tasks, like washing dishes,
into acts of praise and communion with God. The key to friendship with
God, he says, is not changing what you do but changing your attitude
toward what you do. What you normally do for yourself, begin doing
for God whether it is eating, bathing, working, relaxing or taking out the
trash.
Because God is with you all the time, no placer is closer to God than where
you are right now. "He rules everything and is everywhere and is in
everything". Ephesians 4: 6b (NCV)
You must force yourself to think about God at different times of the day.
You must train your mind to remember God. Sometimes you will sense
God's presence, other times you won't. If you are seeking an experience
of feeling God's presence you have missed the point. We don't praise
God to feel good but to do good. Your goal is not a feeling but a
continual awareness of the reality of the presence of God.
Meditation is thinking about His Word.......throughout your day ..... The
Bible repeatedly urges us to mediate on who God is, what he has done
and what he has said. It is impossible to be God's friend without knowing
what He says. You can't love God unless you know Him, and you can't
know Him without knowing His Word. Meditation is simply focussed
thinking - a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere. When you think about
a problem over and over that's called worry. When you think on Gods
words over and over that is meditation. If you know how to worry you
know how to meditate. You just need to switch your attention from your
problems to God's Word. The more you meditate on Bible verses, the less
you will have to worry about.
"Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him. With them
alone He shares the secrets of His promises". Psalm 25:14 (LB)
You always respect and revere God. You don't rant and rave at Him.
You are always considerate of Him, and always go the extra mile for
Him. It is important that you are open with Him, and share with Him
and experience together: together you work things through.
QTC; what can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk
to Him more often throughout the day?
Whilst doing menial tasks instead of being bored turn to God and talk
to Him; tell Him my problems instead of worrying by myself; I like
the idea of setting the alarm for hourly prayer or 2 hourly or 3 hourly,
no later than that; I would like to be able to practise meditation
instead of worrying about problems and having God answer as I
continually meditate on Bible verses but I have a short term memory
so maybe cant do that but can think of instances and the gist of the
Bible.
God bless
Mercy May xoxo
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