God has many children, but as all parents know, there is always one child who is a favorite. Even if they don’t like to admit it, their relationship with that child goes beyond the usual parent-child dynamic; it often extends to friendship. Similarly, God not only wants you to be His child, but He wants you to be so close to Him that He can consider you His friend.

Jesus loves His friends so dearly that He said He was willing to give His life for them (John 15:13). Do you have a friend who would willingly contract a disease so that you wouldn’t be infected? This can be compared to what Jesus did in Matthew 8:17. Does any of your friends stand in the way of a bullet for you? Jesus did more than that when He was beaten by Roman soldiers and hung on a cross. This means that Jesus is the best friend anyone can have.

People often tell stories about friends they had in the past. While it’s common for people to betray friendships due to selfish interests or end them because of disagreements, the friendship of Jesus Christ lasts forever. Whether you’re going through a storm (Matthew 14:24-25) or caught in a fire (Daniel 3:22-25), He will never leave you. Even when He knows you might betray His friendship, He will truly remain your friend (Luke 22:31-32). The Bible says in John 13:1 that He loves to the end.

What does it take to become a friend of God? Our verse to memorize today tells us that we can become His friends by obeying His commandments. This goes beyond avoiding sin; it means that when He says, “Don’t eat, I want you to fast today,” you should do it. When you’re tired and all you want to do is sleep, if He says, “Let’s talk a bit before you sleep,” you should set aside sleep and pray. When He says, “Give me your car,” you should do it. Abraham was called the friend of God in 2 Chronicles 20:7 because when God asked him to sacrifice his son in Genesis 22:1-3, he was willing to do it.

Beloved, when God commands you to do something, you must make the necessary sacrifices and obey Him promptly. Nothing in this world should be too great to sacrifice for God. This is the only way to become His friend. Are you ready to become God’s friend?

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Open Heavens 2024: A Daily Guide to Intimate Communion with God 2024” written by Enoch A. Adeboye.

We invite you to read the following article “WHEN GOD IS ON THE MOVE.”

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