Divine Friendship

I would like all my readers to know, as they already should, that I am far from understanding, applying and perfectly living everything I write! I do not doubt that most of what I write is good--not for it's style or my skill, but for it's content, which is not mine-- but I struggle a lot.

Currently, I am struggling a lot with the weight of feeling I'm not living enough for the Lord. Now, when we get in similar circumstances, we have to be very careful. You see, we have to distinguish between the devil's oppression and lies and the discipline of the Lord. The work of the devil results in guilt. The work of the Lord results in freedom, unless we resist it. Then I imagine that there is conviction--but conviction and Satan's guilt are very different indeed.

So a lot of what I feel is guilt and I know that the devil is trying to get me down. A lot of times I feel like I'm not good enough for Christ. You probably understand what I'm saying; it's not that we believe what we feel, but we feel that way regardless!

But God gave me an insight tonight that I think is very important, especially in light of my recent notes, which tend to provoke conviction (which is indeed important, but the devil's distorting it in my life and making it oppressive instead of freeing--a sure sign that it's him and not the Lord).

This is my insight: God calls us friends. (Now the song is going through your head.)

"I have told you all these things [read before this passage] so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!...
...You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name."
John 15:11...14-16.

"Now you are My friends", Jesus says! How awesome!

I have long realized that friends are friends in large part because I am their friend. What I mean is this: I invest in my friends because they have a mutual investment in my life. If they didn't, they wouldn't be friends. We are friends because the relationship is reciprocal. I hope that's not too difficult a concept. Therefore, my best friends are best friends because they treat me as one of their best friends. Try being a best friend with someone who does not consider you a best friend, and you may understand better what I'm trying to say (and I've been in that situation several times...).

Where I am going with this is that we are friends with Jesus Christ not because we chose Him but because He chose us. He invests time into our lives because not only does He love us (a fact we have heard so much that we often become deaf to it's incredible-ness), He likes us! He chose us to be His friends! He hasn't just created heaven as a reward, but also because He wants to be with us for all eternity.

Remembering that renews my spirit. It renews the joy in serving Him. It renews the joy in letting Him convict and change me because He wants me to be like Him. It renews my hope that I am not on my own in trying to serve Him, but can only do it because of Him. Most of all, it renews my joy that He considers me His friend, and wants to spend time with me (this is not prideful, but rather humbling).
How incredible. How incredible.

Thank You, Jesus!