There is this thought that keeps coming to my mind.
The thought is provoked whenever I read the following verse: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God's friend” (James 2 Verse 23, NIV).
Abraham was called God’s friend; what more could he have yearned for! How was this possible? It was because Abraham believed God. How marvelous and instructive!
This is the way I look at it: to please God, we need not just to believe Him, but also to take any necessary action consistent with what He instructs us.
Abraham believed whatever God told him. Not only that, Abraham also acted on God's instructions according to the exact will of Him who instructed him. Now that's a real friend, if you ask me.
Are you ready and willing to conduct your Christian life likewise?
When God said, “Leave this place,” Abraham left the place. When God said, “Give Me your son,” Abraham 'gave' Him his son. Abraham believed everything God told Him; hence he was called God’s friend.
God told Abraham about His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. I believe that God told Abraham because the two were friends and Abraham was God's confidant.
God didn’t want Abraham to feel let down. If God had not told Abraham about it, Abraham could probably have subsequently queried, “But my Friend, why didn’t you give me a heads-up on what You were planning to do?”
In the process of considering the punishment that He was going to unleash on Sodom and Gomorrah, God remembered His friend. Listen to this: “Then the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’”(Gen 18:17, NIV). How beautiful!
I imagine God saying the same thing about me - “Shall I hide from Phanuel what I am about to do?” Glory to God! That's a stage we certainly need to get to during our short lives on earth.
So, when I look at this, I conclude that God told Abraham about His plans because Abraham was His close friend. He could tell him His secrets and plans. God could confide in Abraham. Can He safely confide in you?
After God told Abraham about His plans, Abraham actually bargained with Him; and God never took offense at Abraham for asking almost the same question several times. Imagine somebody asking, “What if they are fifty?” then “What if they are forty-five?” then “What if they are forty?” then “What if they are thirty?” then “What if they are twenty?” then “What if they are ten?”
Our God is a patient God. He answered all these questions without any hint of impatience; after all, it was a close friend who was asking!
This is my view: although every Christian is loved by God, not all really get into the closeness that God had with Abraham.
Some Christians have dedicated their lives to walking the tight rope. If certain things are not of God, this kind of Christians will never associate with such things. I believe that these people are first Christians and they have gone a step further to become God’s friends.
On the other hand, are Christians, really born again and heaven-bound, but they appear and live like they are not. They choose what to believe and what not to believe. If God says, “This color is red,” they believe. When God takes another color and says, “This is blue,” they say, “But it looks greyish; it can’t be blue.” God cannot get into deeper closeness with such Christians because of their unreliability.
I say this not to offend, but to encourage. You need to examine yourself and to change whatever needs to be changed, all the time guided by the will of God.
If you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you need to be on the move, always. There is no room for monuments in Christ; there is room only for divine movements, Christians on the go!
Christians should build their lives on the foundation called Christ. But what does the Bible say about this building exercise?
Listen to this: “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward” 1 Cor. 3:12-15, NIV.
Are you building with gold? Or are you building with straw? Can straw withstand fire? These are questions that every Christian needs to be always seized with. The Bible says whatever you are building will undergo the test of fire. We should not walk aimlessly in this faith; rather, we exist to aim for the prize!
“Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil,” (Eph. 5:15-16, NIV)
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER
Prayer Point for Today: That I may establish an intimate relationship with God.
Holy Father, I long to be Your confidant, someone who You can trust to keep Your secrets in a clean heart.
It would be an honour for me for You to tell me what You plan to do.
Help me, Father, to become the kind of Christian that Your conscience would not hide anything from. May I always walk with You, each step of the way, for the rest of my life.
Forgive me, Father, for the instances that I have failed to believe You.
I recall past instances in which I failed to believe You because Your words did not seem 'sound' from a human-logic point of view. But all such words eventually came to pass; my logic failed me.
I will therefore strive, Holy Father, never to apply human logic to spiritual matters; experience has taught me that human logic would always be futile under such circumstances.
If I do not change, I will never make the grade to be as close as I desire to You.
So, help me, Holy Father.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.