Monday
Good Monday morning . I hope you had a great Sunday worshiping our Lord. I certainly did. I was blessed to be with some of my friends yesterday--a few from my college days! And although years may have come and gone, the friendships remains caring and strong. Don't you love friends that you can count on? Friends that even if you haven't talked to them in years, you can just pick up where you left off? It's such a comfort to be with true friends.
That must be the feeling God has when He knows He can count on us. When we take Him at His Word, simply believe Him and follow His leading. That is how He describes Abraham--as His friend.
“You see, 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 2:22-23 NLT
Because of his faith, he was counted as righteous. Abraham's faith met God's grace and actions were the result. Action that pleases God to the point He counted Abraham as "a friend."
I know we sing "I am a friend of God" but exactly what does that mean? Are we able to be counted as righteous because of our faith? And if not, are we truly a friend of God?
It's interesting to note here that Abraham was not a friend "to" God, nor was he a "lover" of God, but he was a friend OF God. ““...Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,”. Isaiah 41:8 NLT
The grace of God is where we stand and there really isn't any middle ground. Either we believe God and it is counted as righteousness to us, and we are a friend of God or we are not. And if we are a friend of God, our actions will bear that out. We will love Him; have earnest and frank conversations with Him; stand up for Him; and do our best to meet His desires. Because that's what true friends do.
Today, believe God and be a friend of His. (And that is a bit mind-numbing, isn't it? The holy, great God of the universe is my friend!)
Love you dear one,
Pam
That must be the feeling God has when He knows He can count on us. When we take Him at His Word, simply believe Him and follow His leading. That is how He describes Abraham--as His friend.
“You see, 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 2:22-23 NLT
Because of his faith, he was counted as righteous. Abraham's faith met God's grace and actions were the result. Action that pleases God to the point He counted Abraham as "a friend."
I know we sing "I am a friend of God" but exactly what does that mean? Are we able to be counted as righteous because of our faith? And if not, are we truly a friend of God?
It's interesting to note here that Abraham was not a friend "to" God, nor was he a "lover" of God, but he was a friend OF God. ““...Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,”. Isaiah 41:8 NLT
The grace of God is where we stand and there really isn't any middle ground. Either we believe God and it is counted as righteousness to us, and we are a friend of God or we are not. And if we are a friend of God, our actions will bear that out. We will love Him; have earnest and frank conversations with Him; stand up for Him; and do our best to meet His desires. Because that's what true friends do.
Today, believe God and be a friend of His. (And that is a bit mind-numbing, isn't it? The holy, great God of the universe is my friend!)
Love you dear one,
Pam
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