True Friendship

Who am I that You are mindful of me

 That You hear me when I call

 Is it true that You are thinking of me

 How You love me it's amazing

 

(Chorus)

 I am a friend of God

 I am a friend of God

 I am a friend of God

 He calls me friend

 

God Almighty, Lord of Glory

 You have called me friend

 

(Repeat Chorus)

 

He calls me friend

 He calls me friend... ("I Am A Friend of God" by Israel Houghton)

 

I was immediately drawn back to the incredible statement Jesus made in John 15:15 this morning when I turned on my computer bible study program.  Here He clearly tells us that “I have called you friends.” (KJV)  Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible gives a more descriptive rendition of what Jesus wanted to convey to us by saying: “I have admitted you into a state of the most intimate fellowship with myself…”

Jesus was telling us that He desires our friendship with Him to be more than just a casual relationship.  I am sure that we all have people who we call friends, but don’t really spend much time with except for whatever the common thread is that drew us together be it work, the stores we shop in, the neighborhood we live in, or even at our church.  I was always a little miffed when I left one job I had after a 20 year stint with the company (downsizing!) and tried to contact one individual with whom I thought we had developed a close friendship as we worked together daily, had lunch together, attended company activities and had formed a good working relationship with.  After many attempts I finally was able to catch him at home but it was clear that he was not comfortable keeping the relationship going outside of the workplace. 

Yesterday I mentioned my hard lessons about true friendship that I have learned over the last few years.  I had openly shared some information concerning our finances and about some other decisions we felt the Lord was leading us in with certain family members.  As it turned out, this information was not held in confidence and came back to bite us as information was misconstrued to our children and other individuals who I would have preferred to not have known such information (even though what they were hearing was far from the truth!).

That’s clearly not the relationship that Jesus is telling us that He wants to have with us!  A true friend is someone you can feel free and safe to tell in the strictest of confidence without any thought of reprisal, judgment or retribution.  It is the type of close relationship where you expect to receive comfort, understanding, and encouragement.  You may not always agree with the other’s choices, but you still love and support them anyway!

It’s like the description of God’s agape love found in I Corinthians 13:4-8.  This is the one portion of scripture that I always like to read and explain to couples when we meet for the pre-marriage meetings when I have the honor of officiating at their weddings.  Another great scripture to understand is found in the Song of Solomon 5:16 when the spouse of the bridegroom tells of her husband’s good qualities and concludes by declaring “This is my beloved, and this is my friend…” (KJV)  She was stating that their relationship was not just built on physical feelings but was intertwined and bound with the oneness of an intimate, loving, and deep friendship.

I can attest to the truth of this statement in my relationship with my wife.  I have had many friends over the years, but none have I felt as free, confident and trusting enough to share EVERYTHING with as I have with my wife from practically the beginning of our relationship!  And that’s what Jesus is describing when He says that “I have called you friends!”

He further defined what He meant when He continued His thought adding “because I’ve made known to you EVERYTHING that I have heard from my father.” (John 15:15 God’s Word ©)  The word “known” in this verse is a derivative of the word “ginosko” which as used in Ephesians 3:19 in talking about intimately knowing the love of Christ, is the idiom that was the Jewish term used for sexual intercourse between a husband and wife.  In other words, it describes the very close, intimate relationship between two individuals as can be known only to a husband and wife who deeply love and respect each other.

That’s the kind of relationship, or friendship, which Jesus wants to enjoy with us!  You’ll notice also, that Jesus says that He shares EVERYTHING that He has heard from His Father with us!  Jesus loves and trusts us so much that He holds nothing back from us, and desires that we do the same with Him. 

So I would encourage you this weekend to think about your friendships with others, and especially your friendship with Jesus.  Do you feel that your relationship with Him is as close, as trusting and as loving as He wants it to be?  A relationship of that magnitude can only grow and get better and better as time goes on!  Have a great weekend.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What kind of friendship am I expecting to have with Him today?”