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“You are my friends if you do what I command you. 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.”

– Jesus (from John 15:14-15)

Friends share things with each other that they don’t share with others.

Just imagine what Jesus would have been feeling when He said these words to His disciples.

He had finally reached the place with them where He had shared everything that the Father had told Him to share. Jesus had entrusted them with the deepest of secrets. They had walked through some of the greatest and some of the toughest days together.

At last, just before the end of His life on earth, He had some true friends.

Perhaps we don’t think about the truth that the LORD wants us to be His friends. He is looking for people who will walk with Him and share together in the deepest and most profound way.

It begins with trust because all friendships are based on trust. Then, as our friendship with the LORD grows, He is able to share more of His heart with us.

He doesn’t share it all right away because we have to grow in our trust of Him. That growth only happens in the context of following what He tells us to do.

Friendship Plan

So here is God’s friendship plan.

• He loves us and reveals himself to us.
• We trust Him and take our first steps to follow Him.
• He continues to love us and show us more of Himself and then gives us opportunities to follow Him.

If we are to follow Him it always requires that we trust Him and we do what He says.

This is the way to know Him more. This is what should motivate us to obey His commands.

It is because trust and obey is the only way to grow and to know God as He is in truth.

The Year of Friendship

This year the LORD placed “Friendship” on my heart as a theme of the way that He is working in our church family.

As with all friendships, we must work at them for them to grow deeper.

We don’t work for God’s love or for his salvation. However, we must work at our friendship with Him if it is to become the sweet and precious thing which He desires it to be.

Hopefully, it is the strongest desire of our heart as well.

I look forward to the growth in friendship with the LORD that He has planned for us. I know that it will be the best thing about this coming year, and I pray that we may be able to experience all the fullness of friendship with God.