A worship song has recently become popular in our church and its lyrics struck me this week. Many of you have probably sung it in your own services or at the very least heard it. The song is called "Friend of God" and the chorus repeats the declaration "I am a friend of God" over and over in a very exciting and energetic manner. The theme of this song is taken from scripture, in James 2:21-24, where James writes that Abraham's belief in God was credited to him as righteousness and that he was called God's friend.

Friendships are built on trust. James' reference to Abraham being God's friend is telling us that he was right with God. They were not enemies. They understood each other. Trust had been established. In fact, it was the foundation of their relationship. The Expositors Bible Commentary says this about verse twenty three: "it was not that Abraham earned the favor of God by obeying him; instead, he acted as a friend of God should act and thus showed that he was in reality God's friend."

Jesus said this of friendship in John 15:13-16; "Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from the Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last."

God has called us friend and he showed us with the laying down of his life upon the cross on our behalf. As it was said in John, greater love has no one than this; God loved us so much and desired to call us friend that he sent his son to die on our behalf. Christ tells us that we are not called servants but friends, if we obey what he has asked of us. As friends of God we have been taken into his confidence just as you would trust your best friend with valuable information he has entrusted us with the words of life and salvation for all mankind.

The fact that we could be God's friend is such an amazing truth that we need to remember. Take a moment and think about your closest friendship. What does it look like? How do you keep it alive, vibrant and growing? How and why do you relate so well with this person or group of people? Now ask yourself a few questions. Do my friendships with others look similar or have similar characteristics to the one that I have with God? Is this really something that we can have with our creator? Can I really trust God the way that I do my best friend?

The answer is that God wants to have a friendship with you that is just as deep and even deeper than you could possibly ever have here in this life. He is not a fair weather friend or one that will accidentally leave you high and dry. He is 100% behind you and wants to see you succeed more than you could possibly imagine.

Final Thought: Like all relationships, friendships take effort. Take some time this week and put some effort into your friendship with God. He would love to hang out and he would love to reveal things to you as his friend.