Tag Archives: friend of God

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I Am a Friend of God

It Takes Faith and Hope

Is it even within the realm of possibility for a human being to be known as a friend of God—by God? Yep! Abraham attained the lofty status of God’s friend, and Romans 4:24 says you can, too: “But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.” (MSG)

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 25: 7-8

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.

Reading the story of Abraham in Genesis can lead to only one conclusion: This man was a true hero of the faith! Here’s a guy who was saved by faith even before there was a Bible or the Law or Christ’s death and resurrection or a community of faith. God appeared to Abraham one day—we’re not even sure if he’d had any previous interaction with God or if this was simply an out-of-the-blue encounter—and Abraham said, “Okay God—I’m on board. What’s next?” Abraham then went on a life-long journey with God in which he became known as a friend of God—a pretty cool designation, I’d say—the genetic father of God’s people, the Jews, and the spiritual father of all who believe in God’s Son, Jesus Christ:

His faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. (James 2:23)

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. (Romans 4:16-17)

Obviously, Abraham was a very special man, and the Bible holds him up as an example to emulate for believers like you and me. We all ought to be Abraham-like in the spiritual dimension of our lives. But is that even possible? Is there even the smallest chance that I can develop that same kind of Abraham-like relationship with God? Can I attain a walk with God that will be an Abraham-like example to others? And if it’s possible, then how? Well, it is possible! Paul goes on to say,

But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. (Romans 4:24, MSG)

How can we attain friendship with God? I can sum up the “how” in two words: Faith and hope—technically, that’s three words, but work with me! First, you’ve got to make resurrection the foundation of your faith. That’s what Abraham did! Romans 4:17 says, “Abraham believed in the God who brings back the dead to life.” Abraham was a little ahead of his time—like a few thousand years—but he believed in the God of the resurrection. What Paul is referring to here is the story of God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar (you can read the story in Genesis 22), and Abraham’s willingness to actually go through with it. Why would Abraham be willing to do such a thing? Because he had faith in the God of the resurrection—the God who could, and would, raise Isaac back to life again. The truth is, to have that kind of Abraham-like faith, you and I have to have that same Abraham-like trust in the God of the resurrection. If you don’t have a foundational and resolute belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and his promise to resurrect you from the dead, your faith will not only not develop to Abraham-like proportions, it will be meaningless. Paul teaches us in I Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” In other words, if we have no faith in the God of the resurrection, then I am wasting my energy writing this blog…and you’re wasting your time reading it…and you’ll never come close to living an Abraham-like life of faith. But the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead proves that God is who he said he is and will fulfill what he has promised to do. And the faith you place in the God who resurrects the dead will empower you to live the kind of God-honoring faith that Abraham had. Second, you’ve got to claim resurrection as the basis of your hope. That, too, is what Abraham did. Romans 4:18 tells us that “even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept on hoping”…believing in God’s promises that one day he would be the father of many nations when his only son, through whom his lineage would continue, was about to die. In other words, Abraham didn’t let his circumstances dominate his life; he allowed God’s promises to dictate his life. Abraham believed that if Isaac was going to die on the altar, God would raise him to life. That was his hope. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but the exercise of that kind of hope is arguably the most powerful discipline you can engage as a believer. Count Bismarck said, “Without the hope of [Christian resurrection], this life is not worth the effort of getting dressed in the morning.” He was right! Christian hope is that important, and that powerful. Karl Marx proclaimed that religious hope is the opiate of the people. But Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure.” And Paul writes in Romans 5:5 that this “hope does not disappoint us!” Do you practice hope? I’m not talking about the breezy kind of optimism that Mary Martin sang about in South Pacific when she crooned, “I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope.” I’m talking about the exercise of hope that declares that you are choosing to believe in God’s promises, not just in spite of the evidence, but in scorn of the consequences. We’ve been called to practice that kind of hope. Faith, hope and the resurrection…that was Abraham’s secret. I have faith that it will be your secret too…at least I hope so!

Going Deeper: Here is a prayer I would encourage you to offer up right now: “Father Abraham had many sons, and I want to be one of them. I want to offer the same kind of believing faith that led him to follow you without knowing the destination, to obey you when it seemed foolish, and to stare death in the face and express the hope of the resurrection. And I want to be your friend, too! Give me Abraham-like faith!”

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I Am a Friend of God

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Romans 4
Meditation: Romans 4:16

“God’s promise of eternal life is received through the same kind of faith demonstrated by Abraham, who believed in the God who resurrects the dead and creates new things out of nothing.”

Shift Your Focus… I don’t know if you’ve done much thinking about Abraham, but what a true hero of the faith! Here’s a guy who was saved by faith even before there was a Bible or the Law or Christ’s death and resurrection or a community of faith. God appeared to Abraham one day—we’re not even sure if he’d had any previous interaction with God or if this was simply an out of the blue encounter—and Abraham said, “Okay God—I’m on board. What’s next?”

Abraham then went on a life-long journey with God in which he became known as a friend of God—a pretty cool designation, I’d say—the genetic father of God’s people, the Jews, and the spiritual father of all who believe. (James 2:23, Romans 4:16-17)

Obviously, Abraham was a very special man, and the Bible holds him up as an example to emulate for believers like you and me. We all ought to be Abraham-like in the spiritual dimension of our lives.

But is that even possible? Is there even the smallest chance that I can develop that same kind of Abraham-like relationship with God? Can I attain a walk with God that will be an Abraham-like example to others?  And if it’s possible, then how?

Well, it is possible!  Paul goes on to say, “God will count us righteous too if we believe in him who raised from the dead this Jesus who died for our sins and was raised to make us right with God.”  (Romans 4:24, NLT)

How can we attain friendship with God?  I can sum up the “how” in two words: Faith and hope—technically, that’s three words, but work with me!

First, you’ve got to make resurrection the foundation of your faith.

That’s what Abraham did! Romans 4:17 says, “Abraham believed in the God who brings back the dead to life.” Abraham was a little ahead of his time—like a few thousand years—but he believed in the God of the resurrection. What Paul is referring to here is the story of God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar (you can read the story in Genesis 22), and Abraham’s willingness to actually go through with it. Why would Abraham be willing to do such a thing? Because he had faith in the God of the resurrection—the God who could, and would, raise Isaac back to life again.

The truth is, to have that kind of Abraham-like faith, you and I have to have that same Abraham-like trust in the God of the resurrection. If you don’t have a foundational and resolute belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and his promise to resurrect you from the dead, your faith will not only not develop to Abraham-like proportions, it will be meaningless. Paul teaches us in I Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”

In other words, if we have no faith in the God of the resurrection, then I am wasting my energy writing this blog…and you’re wasting your time reading it…and you’ll never come close to living an Abraham-like life of faith. But the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead proves that God is who he said he is and will fulfill what he has promised to do. And the faith you place in the God who resurrects the dead will empower you to live the kind of God-honoring faith that Abraham had.

Second, you’ve got to claim resurrection as the basis of your hope.

That, too, is what Abraham did. Romans 4:18 tells us that “even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept on hoping”…believing in God’s promises that one day he would be the father of many nations when his only son, through whom his lineage would continue, was about to die. In other words, Abraham didn’t let his circumstances dominate his life; he allowed God’s promises to dictate his life. Abraham believed that if Isaac was going to die on the altar, God would raise him to life. That was his hope.

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but the exercise of that kind of hope is arguably the most powerful discipline you can engage as a believer. Count Bismarck said, “Without the hope of [Christian resurrection], this life is not worth the effort of getting dressed in the morning.” He was right! Christian hope is that important, and that powerful.

Karl Marx proclaimed that religious hope is the opiate of the people. But Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure.” And Paul writes in Romans 5:5 that this “hope does not disappoint us!”

Do you practice hope? I’m not talking about the breezy kind of optimism that Mary Martin sang about in South Pacific when she crooned, “I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope.” I’m talking about the exercise of hope that declares that you are choosing to believe in God’s promises, not just in spite of the evidence, but in scorn of the consequences. We’ve been called to practice that kind of hope.

Faith, hope and the resurrection…that was Abraham’s secret. I have faith that it will be your secret too…at least I hope so!  He is risen!

“For a mere legend about Christ’s resurrection to have gained circulation and to have had the impact it had without one shred of basis in fact, is [unbelievable].” ~William F. Albright

Prayer… Thank you that by grace through faith, I am now your beloved child, a part of your forever family!

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No Need To Fear

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 15:1-21

“After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’” ~Genesis 15:1

In Genesis 15, God appears to Abraham in a vision, and God’s first words are, “Fear not!”  God is simply responding to what’s going on in his heart. Abraham was having a sleepless night and he was afraid.

Afraid of what? There were four fears arising from Abraham’s past, common fears that you and I often face in our faith-journey, as well:

First is the fear of “what have I gotten myself into?” Abraham just had publicly humiliated four despots, overthrowing their vast army with a handful of men (Genesis 14:17-24). Dictators don’t take these kinds of humiliating defeats lightly, and no doubt fear of repercussions now griped Abraham’s heart.

When you declare your intentions to put trust in God, the Enemy will sow fear into your heart since he doesn’t take kindly to giving up spiritual territory.

The second is the fear of “what have I just given up?” After defeating these dictators, their archenemy, the king of Sodom, wanted to give Abraham a financial reward. Abraham turned it down, and while the king went back to his palace wealthy, Abraham went back to his tent empty-handed, clinging only to the promise of God.

When you take a stand for God, it is likely that a wave of fear will hit you “square in the faith” as you wonder if trusting in God will be sufficient.

The third is the fear of “have I misunderstood God’s will.” A decade prior, Abraham heard God tell him to leave everything and go to Canaan where he would be given many descendants. That was a real leap of faith since he was 90 and Sarah was 80. Now, he is a centenarian with no kid to show for it.

When you experience a delay between God’s promise and provision, fear that you misunderstood what God actually said will begin to play on your faith.

The fourth fear is “will God act in time, if at all?” In Genesis 12, impatient with God’s promised provision, Abraham took a faith detour to Egypt, apart from God’s plan, looking for human resources to keep him afloat during a famine.

The temptation to flee to “Egypt” is an ever-present danger, playing on a fear that drives you to make things happen for yourself.

So why did God allow the conditions that played on Abraham’s fears? Why didn’t he just immediately provide what he had promised?  And why doesn’t God make things easy for you and me?  Why does he delay?

Here’s why: God always creates the conditions where he can manifest his glory. And you wouldn’t want it any other way. Neither would I!  That’s how faith-testimonies are born! That’s what births spiritual legacies! That’s where Kingdom greatness is forged. It is in the gap between promise and fulfillment that God gives duel encouragement to Abraham—and to us:  “Do not be afraid. I’m your shield, your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:2)

Don’t miss what God has promised: He will be your protector—which means that you are untouchable until God’s work is done. Nothing can touch you except it come by permission of God, who is a living shield around you. Abraham believed that—and it neutralized his fears.  You should believe that, too—it’s the answer to your anxieties!

But God is more than a shield. He says also to Abraham, “I am your very great reward.” God is your greatest treasure, the only genuinely satisfying joy you will ever know, and the experience of God’s presence will be a far richer source of joy than even his promises fulfilled. The New Testament commentary on this passage, James 2:23, says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness…” Then it adds, “and he was called God’s friend.”  Abraham’s greatest reward was the relationship gained, not the results won!

And we never again read of Abraham fear’s, which were neutralized by his sense of God’s presence, God’s friendship and God’s adequacy. The turning point in Abraham’s journey was when he turned his eye from his fears and fixed them upon his Friend.

That will be the critical point in your journey of faith and obedience, too. Turn your eyes from your problem to your Friend, and like Abraham, you, will discover that God is more than adequate.

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”  ~Oswald Chambers

Reflect and Apply:  What is your greatest fear?  How is your faith being tested?  Where are you waiting for God’s adequate provision?  Turn your focus off these and lock onto your Friend—he is both your shield and your very great reward.

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Being God’s Friend

Read Romans 4

“God’s promise of eternal life is received through the same kind of faith demonstrated by Abraham, who believed in the God who resurrects the dead and creates new things out of nothing.”
(Romans 4:16)

Food For Thought… I don’t know if you’ve done much thinking about Abraham, but what a true hero of the faith! Here’s a guy who was saved by faith even before there was a Bible or the Law or Christ’s death and resurrection or a community of faith. God appeared to Abraham one day—we’re not even sure if he’d had any previous interaction with God or if this was simply an out of the blue encounter—and Abraham said, “Okay God—I’m on board. What’s next?”

Abraham then went on a life-long journey with God in which he became known as a friend of God—a pretty cool designation, I’d say—and the father of God’s people.

Obviously, Abraham was a very special man, and the Bible holds him up as an example to emulate for believers like you and me. We all ought to be Abraham-like in the spiritual dimension of our lives.

But is that even possible? Is there even the smallest chance that I can develop that same kind of Abraham-like relationship with God? Can I attain a walk with God that will be an Abraham-like example to others? And if it’s possible, then how?

Well, it is possible! Paul goes on to say in verse 24, “God will count us righteous too if we believe in him who raised from the dead this Jesus who died for our sins and was raised to make us right with God.”

How can we attain friendship with God? I can sum up the “how” in two words: Faith and hope—technically, that’s three words, but work with me!

First, you’ve got to make resurrection the foundation of your faith.

That’s what Abraham did! Romans 4:17 says, “Abraham believed in the God who brings back the dead to life.” Abraham was a little ahead of his time—like a few thousand years—but he believed in the God of the resurrection. What Paul is referring to here is the story of God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar (you can read the story in Genesis 22), and Abraham’s willingness to actually go through with it. Why would Abraham be willing to do such a thing? Because he had faith in the God of the resurrection—the God who could, and would, raise Isaac back to life again.

The truth is, to have that kind of Abraham-like faith, you and I have to have that same Abraham-like level of trust in the God of the resurrection. If you don’t have a foundational and resolute belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and his promise to resurrect you from the dead, your faith will not only not develop to Abraham-like proportions, it will be meaningless. Paul teaches us in I Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”

In other words, if we have no faith in the God of the resurrection, then I am wasting my energy writing this blog…and you’re wasting your time reading it…and you’ll never come close to living an Abraham-like life of faith. But the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead proves that God is who he said he is and will fulfill what he has promised to do. And the faith you place in the God who resurrects the dead will empower you to live the kind of God-honoring faith that Abraham had.

Second, you’ve got to claim resurrection as the basis of your hope.

That, too, is what Abraham did. Romans 4:18 tells us that “even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept on hoping”…believing in God’s promises that one day he would be the father of many nations when his only son, through whom his lineage would continue, was about to die. In other words, Abraham didn’t let his circumstances dominate his life; he allowed God’s promises to dictate his life. Abraham believed that if Isaac was going to die on the altar, God would raise him to life. That was his hope.

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but the exercise of that kind of hope is arguably the most powerful discipline you can engage as a believer. Count Bismarck said, “Without the hope of [Christian resurrection], this life is not worth the effort of getting dressed in the morning.” He was right! Christian hope is that important, and that powerful.

Karl Marx proclaimed that religious hope is the opiate of the people. But Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure.” And Paul writes in Romans 5:5 that this “hope does not disappoint us!”

Do you practice hope? I’m not talking about the breezy kind of optimism that Mary Martin sang about in South Pacific when she crooned, “I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope.” I’m talking about the exercise of hope that declares that you are choosing to believe in God’s promises, not just in spite of the evidence, but in scorn of the consequences. We’ve been called to practice that kind of hope.

Faith, hope and the resurrection…that was Abraham’s secret. I have faith that it will be your secret too…at least I hope so!

Prayer… Lord, I believe! I believe in you. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. I believe that his resurrection guarantees my resurrection from the dead. In you I have placed my faith and in you I have put my hope. My prayer is that the exercise of my faith and the practice of my hope will lead to the kind of relationship Abraham had with you—he was your friend, God. That’s what I want!

One more thing… “For a mere legend about Christ’s resurrection to have gained circulation and to have had the impact it had without one shred of basis in fact, is [unbelievable].” —William F. Albright