As a young man I remember singing an old hymn in church. Some of the words went like this, “I have a friend in Jesus, He is everything to me, He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.” In my study this morning, I was reading Ephesians 1:15-18 and I learned something about friendship with God. When meditating on these words, I thought, if we worked only half as much at being a friend of God, as we do with human relationships we might hear God say, as He did when he referenced Abraham as being “a friend of God.”
- Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called The Friend of God.” (James 2:23)
Paul mentions faith in God and love of the saints. He prays that we might know all the good things that God has for us. In Ephesians 1:15-18 he is praying to the Father, he is asking that, “The eyes of our understanding be enlightened so that we might know all the rich blessings that have been provided for us in Christ.” He speaks of our Father’s power and He wants to work through us as we believe and accept His Word as truth. (v.19)
I thought to myself, friendships nurtured will grow; friendships neglected will dissipate and disappear. Friendships valued are those that mean everything to you, like the hymn speaks of, they are “the fairest of ten thousand.” They may just be the friend of a life time. Jesus is the friend of a life time as well as a friend throughout eternity. We know this; friendships that are meaningful, valued and cherished will grow. If you will allow me to use the terminology, every-time you meet a special friend there seems to be a revelation. Jesus is that kind of person, the more you know Him the more He is revealed to your spirit. (Eph. 1-17)
Pastor Danny
