He Calls Me Friend

Friday, September 6, 2024
"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15)
Today's is a guest devotional.
"Friendship is not extra. It is not optional for the Christian. But what if you don't really have any 'bosom friends'? What if you've expended all your relational energy with your children or at work? You feel the press of immediate needs and don't think it would be responsible to step away. Isn't having friends something you do with leftover time?
"At the Last Supper with the disciples, Jesus stressed to them what was most important to Him: communion. Communion with the Father and one another is the meaning of life. In John's Gospel, Jesus expresses His unity with us as the true Vine, in whose love we are to remain. Jesus wants us to know love through participating in it.
"The Lord has designed you and destined you for intimate participation in love. This participation is called communion, and the entire Christian life has communion as its aim. You have come from a communion of love (the Trinity) and you are destined for the communion of saints. You are not the best version of you, alone. This is why friendship is not extra but essential.
"For a while, I forgot this. I was fully immersed in survival -- moving four times in 5 years, having twins, and homeschooling older children. I had no bandwidth to be concerned with anyone outside my immediate family.
"During this time, my eldest daughter signed up for a musical theater production of The Wizard of Oz. This commitment necessitated that I volunteer for 12 hours. As I walked into the wings, I thoroughly resented the coerced volunteering, certain I was more put-out than any other mom because I had to bring three other children with me, who sat under tables in Hair and Makeup.
"Thirty minutes later, I was not the same woman who had started applying makeup. I was electrified. Coming home from productions at 10 p.m., I couldn't sleep until I'd told my husband about every meaningful conversation I had with each mom, munchkin, and monkey. There was a lot to tell!
"In making friends as a grownup, I learned that friendship expresses principles of Christ's own affection for me. My friends refuse to see me as the sum of my weaknesses and failures. They literally tell me, 'I see that you are more than that.' Friendship reminds me that I am acceptable, that I am lovable. Acceptance liberates me to face the full truth about who God has made me to be.
"Ask the Lord to show you why friendship matters. Then, step forward in faith. Perhaps you could shift your energy from social media friendships to embodied friendships. Perhaps you could take the first step in repairing a faltering friendship. Dare to believe that Jesus desires the joy of friendship for you, that His 'joy may be in you and your joy may be perfect' (John 15:11)."
--Charity Hill