Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, I feel so honored to be considered Your friend. What a friend I have in You, Jesus—all my sins and griefs to bear. And knowing that You are standing up for me—vouching for me—before our Heavenly Father is an overwhelming thought. Thank You. How can I love You more? Open my eyes to ways that I can serve You…and know grow our relationship.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:6-11
Do you know the song, “I am a Friend of God”? It has been
going around in my head since we sang it in church on Sunday. I feel honored to
be considered a friend of Jesus.
I have
loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my
commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with
my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved
you. There is no
greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends
if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his
slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the
Father told me. You
didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit,
so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other. John 15:9-17 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Chosen by Jesus. Have you responded to His
invitation to be His friend? Are you obeying His commandment to love others
they way He loves you? He laid down His life—obediently to Our Father. Are You
willing to do the same? Scripture says we should take up our cross daily and follow
Him (Luke 9:23) and that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life
for friends (John 15:13). That is just what Jesus did. Since He did that for
you…and asked you to obey His commandments—are you being obedient to Him? Do
you call Him, friend?
Verses of Salvation ~ In this way, God qualified
him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for
all those who obey him. Hebrews 5:9
(Note: Jesus is the High Priest in Heaven (see Hebrews 7:26).
 |
| Physical and Spiritual Food. A drama of the Last Supper. Jesus giving food and drink to His hungry disciples. Is He satisfying your hunger and thirst? |
Memory Verse of the Week ~ For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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