You can become a friend of God!

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24.

Dale Carnegie said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

Today’s Bible insights say, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

You see, you should make time for friendship. Then only you will have friends. Friendship does not happen automatically without effort. Kind, supportive, and caring friends are precious in our lives. An unknown quote says, “A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.” Real friends recognize, motivate, and encourage you to grow. They do not put you down. They do not stone at you or bruise you. They would never be ashamed of you. A friend is the one who loves and cares for you even though he knows all about you.

Today’s insight says, “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Who is this friend that sticks closer than a brother? It is none other than the loving God. However, the question many has is this – how do you make friends with God? Beloved, it is possible to make a close friendship with God. However, you must make time for intimacy with God. When you run around stressed out and spend time on all other stuff and then quickly pray and go to bed, it means you are not intended to make a friendship with God. Like all other human friendship, friendship with God also demand your time. You need to be with the Lord listening to him and talking to Him.

If you want to make a friendship with God, three things are essential.
Number one is your time; number two is you must have high reverence to God, and number three (and this is the most foundational) is Jesus Christ, the mediator who reconciled you to God. Without Jesus Christ, you could never make friends with God.

Bible says in Psalm 25:14, God’s friendship is only for those who keep high reverence for him. Moreover, He reveals all his secrets to them. You see, many people do not honor God, and there is no reverence for him. You will not become a friend of God if you do not highly reverence him. Besides, you would not become a friend of God if you do not spare your time to make a friendship with Him. The conversation is two-fold- you listen to him by being quiet in his presence and by reading/understanding the Bible. Then you talk to him in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Prayer time is also an excellent time to listen to God.

After the fall of our first parents- Adam and Eve-fear entered into this world. The reason for fear is a sin against God. People feared God in the old testament except for very few people who enjoyed the friendship of God because they put their faith in the promise of God for a savior. However, all this changed after the coming of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for your sins. Now you can go to the holy presence of God without fear if you accepted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your savior and Lord. Have you accepted Jesus Christ, who paid for your sins with his blood, as your savior? Listen to what the Bible says in Hebrews 10:19-22, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain, that is His body, into the Most Holy Place. Moreover, since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Jesus opened a new and life-giving way to make friends with God.

You can become a friend of God based on what Jesus Christ did for you. You do not need to be afraid anymore. Jesus reconciled you to the Father God by his death and resurrection. God becomes your friend who sticks closer than your brother.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I want to be your friend. I know I can become your friend in and through your Son, Jesus Christ, who is my savior and Lord. Please make me your friend. I want to spend time in your Word, the Bible. I want to talk to you in prayer. Please save me because Jesus died in my place for my sins. I accept Him as my Lord and savior. In Christ’s name, I pray, Amen.