Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. John 15:14-15.
There is a popular hymn that I like so much, this hymn is one of my favorites out of thousands of hymns. And the first stanza goes like this
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins are grief’s to bear
what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer
oh what peace we often forfeit
oh what needless pain we bear
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer”
There are some friends that stick closer than any of our relatives; they occupy a big space in our heart so much that we can almost never do without them. Sometimes, whenever this friend is around, we feel more secured, safe and happy because he or she has become part of us.
We might be lucky to have these kinds of friends around, but one thing I want to let you know beloveth is that they can never carry all our burdens, because they also have theirs to carry. Do you know that your best friend today can be your worst enemy tomorrow, they can even fail you? But Jesus is our true friend who cares for all our needs. Ne never fails. He remains the same yesterday, today and forever till eternity. (See Hebrews 13:8).
Jesus is the only true friend we can ever have, because he’s ever dependable and reliable, he never sleeps, he never slumbers, he never disappoint, he is ever present in time of need. When you make Jesus your friend, you are no more a servant neither are you a slave, you are now a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people called out of darkness in to his marvelous light. (See 1 Peter 2:9).
What Must I Do to Become His Friend?
- Confess and forsake your sins
To be a friend of Jesus, you must first confess your sins to him, after confessing your sins, must make up your mind to forsake all your sins. Confessing your sins to him might not be enough if you are not ready to forsake them.
- Be born again
To be born again simply means to surrender your life to Jesus, to acknowledge him as your personal Lord and savior so that he will wash away your sins and give you a brand new beginning.
- Pant after him
Now that you are born again, you must now begin to pant after him, study the bible, disconnect yourself from every ungodly friendship and relationship, and begin to seek after his presence by worshiping, praying praising and fellowship with other Christian brethren.
- Live Holy
Holiness is one of the greatest key to be a friend of Jesus. Live holy for our God is holy. Without holiness, no man can ever be a friend of Jesus Christ and no man can see God.
- Abide in him
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:4-7.
- Obey him completely
half obedience is no obedience at all. Anyone who wants to be a friend of God must obey him totally. Is either one obeys fully or don’t obey at all. And if you don’t obey him, how then do you want to be his friend.
- Love what he loves
One thing Jesus hates so much is sin. And sin can be in any form, it can be anger, impurity, lying, stealing, cheating, backbiting, bitterness against your neighbor etc. Disconnect yourself from anything that God won’t approve well. Anything that doesn’t glorify God is not worth doing, so disengage yourself from it completely.
Beloved, Jesus is the only true and best friend we can ever have. when you are weak come to him, he will make you strong, when you are helpless he will help you, when you are hopeless, he will give you hope, when you are broken, he will heal you, when you are defenseless, he will defend you. when you are empty, he will fill you, others may forsake you but he will never forsake you. Are you ready to be his friend, If you are ready to surrender to him, he’s ever ready to be your friend and to partner with you, invite him into your life today and you‘ll never regret you did, God bless you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m ready to be your friend, come in to my life and make me your friend forever, consecrate me and give me a new beginning, thank you for accepting me Lord, in Jesus name, Amen.
