I Am a Friend of God

November 9, 2015

I Am a Friend of God

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Romans 5:11

Is there one essential precept that we want to keep ever before us as we seek to make the life in Christ our way of life? If I had to pick one, just one truth to stand above all of the lessons of discipleship, I pick Romans 5:11: “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” I invite you to spend time with this verse, and let its truth sink deep within your soul.

I have come to the place in my life where my most precious prayer time is when I am still, and know that I am in the presence of God. For me, this is rejoicing in my relationship with God. I come into the presence of God with thanksgiving, and to celebrate His glory, not just seeking for God to make my life better. How is this possiple? It is possible because “our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

Throughout Romans 5, Paul affirms that Jesus’ work to save us, to establish our friendship with God, was accomplished while we were undeserving sinners. Our part is to simply turn to God, and say “Thank you, I receive the new life in Christ Jesus you have ordained for me.” God responds by sanctifying us through the life of Jesus. My my.

I’m feeling a bit anxious this morning. I am presiding at a meeting tonight that may well be contentious, and some of the folks won’t be happy with me. But I am a friend of God. Maybe I can use my friendship with the Almighty to soften the hearts of the people toward my point of view; or instead, I can come into the presence of God with thanksgiving, and to celebrate His glory, not just seeking for God to make my life better. That’s the road for me. I’ll just be still and know God, then I’ll be still, and then I’ll be.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.