DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: SEPTEMBER 26 HOW TO BECOME GOD’S FRIEND (1) SCRIPTURE: 2 CHRO. 20: 7; 1 SAM. 41: 8; ACTS 13: 22

In the natural sense, it will be unthinkable hearing someone talking of becoming God’s friend. This is because an average human sees God too holy, perfect or intimidating to be a friend to human beings. It is tantamount to blaspheme amongst the Jews in those days if one would say: “I want to become God’s friend.” One of the strongest reasons the Jews hated Jesus was His assertion that He is God’s Son. Humanly speaking, saying you are God’s friend conveys the meaning of relating physically, eating and dinning with God. Sitting together physically to discuss or do things together, as it is with fellow beings. This is far from friendship with God.

Biblically, to become friend with God means relating, associating and fellowshipping with God intimately in complete loyalty and affection for all things concerning God. There are many people in the Bible who can pass for being God’s friends. But we will talk more about Abraham here with a brush on King David. In 2 Chro. 20: 7, King Jehoshaphat referred to Abraham as God’s friend. King Jehoshaphat had a clear history of how God has been very close to Abraham. God’s constant calls on Abraham and how Abraham had severally discussed with God could convince King Jehoshaphat that Abraham is God’s friend. We will see in Isaiah 41: 8 that God Himself referred to Abraham as “Abraham my friend.”

Friend chooses to visit own friend at will, to go meeting the friend for serious discussions. God did this when He picked two angels along to visit Abraham (Gen. 18: 1). In the early days of Adam God visited him physically. But in our days, God can pay visit to His chosen friends in a form of an angel. As a sign of friendly discussion, God told Abraham that Sarah can now be pregnant. God again demonstrated the friendliness by saying “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing…? (Gen. 18: 17).

What this could mean is “now that Abraham is my friend, why should I hide my plans concerning Sodom and Gomorrah from him?” King David comes here too as one of the friends of God. The Bible referred to King David as “a man after God’s own heart.” (1 Sam. 13: 14; Acts 13: 22). Today’s devotional believes that if Abraham and King David passed for being God’s friend, anyone of us can become. Our state of sin never stopped God from accepting us as His Own Friends. Yes, you can. Yes, I can.

TAKE ACTION:

Take a deep reflection on your life and see what is holding you from relating with God intimately as Father-child friendship. Is it ignorance that God is a consuming fire or you are working on false doctrine that God is too Holy to be a friend to human beings.

PRAYER:

LORD JESUS, your entrance into the world is to reconcile us with God our Father. Show me today how to become a friend of our Almighty Father. Amen.

bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch