A Friend to sinners
(Mat 11:19 NIV) The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘
Great men usually choose their friends carefully. They will not associate with anybody. But the Son of God did not restrict Himself to the elite of society. He chose to be a Friend to sinners.
Do you feel that God is far from you because you have not lived your life right? God wants to be your Friend despite what you have done with your life.
A Friend to His enemies
(Mat 26:49-50 NIV) Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. {50} Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
Jesus called Judas a friend, a man that betrayed Him. Jesus was a Friend even to His enemies.
How do we treat our enemies? Do we treat them as friends? The Bible says that we are to be kind to those who are unkind towards us.
(Prov 25:21 NIV) If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
A Friend who sticks by us through difficult times
There are true friends and there are false friends. A true friend sticks by through thick and thin but a false friend leaves us when they see the slightest problem.
(Prov 19:4 NIV) Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him.
(Prov 17:17 NIV) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
God is our true Friend. He is Someone we can turn to when we encounter bad times. Are there any difficult situations in your life? Why not approach our Friend to help out?
A Friend who knows no limits
(John 15:13 NIV) Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus’ friendship knows no limit. He displayed the greatest love that it is possible to display to a friend. He died for us. If a person is willing to die for us, there is nothing he would not do for us.
Let us live our life in the assurance that we have a Friend who knows no limit to what He will do for us.
A Friend especially to those who will do what He says
(John 15:14 NIV) You are my friends if you do what I command.
Do you have a friend who always go against everything you say? Most likely not. We will not consider someone like that a friend.
If we want to draw close to God as a friend, then we need to do what He says.
A Friend especially to those who trusts in Him
(James 2:23 NIV) And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
Abraham was one of the few persons in the Bible who was specially mentioned as God’s friend. And the reason for this is his faith. When God promised Abraham that his descendants would be many, he believed God even though he did not have a single descendant at that time and was into his old age. He believed God for the humanly impossible.
When we want a special friendship with God, we need faith. Faith that is rested on God’s promises. What has God promised to you? He will bring it to completion.
A Friend especially to the humble
(Exo 33:11 NIV) The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Another person that was specially mentioned as God’s friend was Moses. This time it was because Moses was a humble man.
(Num 12:3 NIV) Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.
God is close to the humble but he stays away from those who are proud.
(Psa 138:6 NIV) Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
A Friend to those who are not friends of the world
(James 4:4 NIV) You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
The Bible is clear that we cannot be friends of God and friends of the world at the same time. This is because the values of God and the world are so diametrically opposite.
What is friendship with the world?
(1 John 2:15-16 NRSV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; {16} for all that is in the world–the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches–comes not from the Father but from the world.
Friendship with the world means that we indulge in things that are characteristic of the world – the lust of sensuality, the materialistic pleasures and the boasting.