What does Being a Friend of God Require?
- Faithfulness
- Prayer, talking to God (Ps 39:12
- Studying to add knowledge about God and the way God talks to us (2 Tim 2:15)
- Meditation, listening to and internalizing what we have studied (Ps 104:34)
- Fasting regularly which keeps us humble and pliable to receive correction and instruction (Ps 35:13)
- Child-like belief and attitude, desiring to whole heartedly follow God’s teachings (Mark 10:13-14)
- Keeping God’s Commandments with a pure heart (Ps 24:4)
- Being led and guided by the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit which leads us into all truths and guides us to perform good deeds for the glory and praise of God (Ps 31:5)
- Being corrected by the Washing of the Water of the Word and being convicted within our conscience by the Holy Spirit when we have transgressed (Eph 5:26)
- Willingness to repent and seek forgiveness from God when we fall short (Mat 3:2)
- Working hard to overcome our faults with the help of our High Priest and Saviour (Rm 12:21)
- Keeping ourselves separate and unspotted from the world and its evil ways (2 Cor 6:17))
- Being a peculiar and set apart people (Ex 19:5)
- Being a sojourner in this land, awaiting the Promised Land (Gen 23:4)
- Letting our light shine in this dark world (Job 3:4)
- Allowing Christ to live through us (Rm 6:8)
- Having a personal and close relationship with Abba and Yeshua, based on faith and trust (Mark 11:22)
- Building our foundation on the Rock, through prayer, study and meditation (1 Cor 10;4)
- Knowing and understanding God’s wonderful plan of salvation for us and mankind (Luke 20:36)
The free gift we receive from being a friend to God and Jesus is the gift of salvation and eternal life, being made part of God’s Family, to eventually be one with God and Jesus and each other in Spirit and in Truth. Our goal is to be in The Kingdom of God and to be the sons and daughters of the great Almighty God.
“…you are Gods, and all of you are children of the Most High” – Psalm 82:6
“Wherefore …brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure…For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Svaiour Jesus Christ”. – 2 Peter 1:10-11
The greatest gift we can give to others, because we are a friend of God and Jesus, is the gift of true brotherly love and the message of the hope we have in Christ and of His coming return.
We are to be doers with whatever talents God has given us. (James 1:23) These gifts and talents from God are only made possible through the absolute mercy and grace given to us by our Father and His Son, as we all fall short of the glory of God and are not able to keep all His laws perfectly at all times, but because we have been called and chosen to be part of God’s family, He through His love and mercy and Jesus’ precious shed blood, forgives us our sins, and separates our sins from us as far as East is from West.
“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” –Romans 4:8
How merciful, full of love and awesome is our God. His mercy endures forever and so does His love for all those who love Him and keep His Commandments.
God is the Only Faithful and True Friend, with agape love for His people. What a wonderful privilege it is to be called A Friend of God!!!
“You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you.” – John 15:14
