Trying to connect Jesus as King, Lord, and Savior with Him as my friend reminds me of this Bible verse: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:4. When I compare myself with His majesty, I feel so small and unworthy of a friendship with Him. While He wants us to respect Him, He also wants us to lovingly say, “Jesus is my friend!”
How do we experience a friendship with Jesus and accept Him as our most faithful friend?
Why Does Jesus Call us Friends?
Let’s go back to Psalm 8.
“You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” V5.
He’s talking about you. And me.
God created us in His image, putting His same glory and honor on us as a crown, making us only a little lower than Himself and the angels!
He’s working on each one of us, shaping and helping us transform our character to line up more closely with His.
Have you accepted your worth in His eyes? You are His one-of-a-kind treasure.
He loves us sins, weaknesses, and all. His unconditional love is not based on what we do, but who we are. He made us to experience what a true friendship relationship looks like.
Friends of Jesus
Jesus spent the last night of his earthly life with His disciples packing in teachings they would need. How He wanted them to understand and be prepared for His death and resurrection and a life without Him on earth!
He tells them the parable of the vine and the branches to emphasize the need for them to be rooted, connected, and completely dependent on Him.
Jesus is the vine, and all who follow Him are the branches. We need to be connected to Him to bear the fruit that draws others to Him and to experience the consistent joy He brings into our lives, no matter what our circumstances.
A close and vibrant friendship with Jesus keeps us connected in this way.
Then He promises: “Remain in me and I will remain in you.” John 15:4.
Jesus tries to explain His love for them, comparing it to the same love God the Father has shown to Him, the Son.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” V9 This is a deep and profound love that is hard for us to even fathom.
But He wants us to be confident of His love for us- one that has no beginning or end, is personal and unchanging.
Believing, accepting, and understanding the depth of His love for us will keep our relationship strong.
Jesus our Friend Bible Verse
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15.
Jesus as Our Friend
In Jesus’ time, they did not give a slave a reason to perform a job; they had no choice but to obey.
The relationship between a Rabbi and his disciples was strictly teacher/student. There was no friendship involved.
Jesus turned the tables by defining friendship in a completely new way. Friendship with Jesus was to be a relationship of mutual respect and love, to the point of sacrificing one’s life for his friends.
Jesus was ready to show His ultimate love by giving up His own life for ours.
We might not ever need to die for anyone, but He asks us to practice sacrificial love for others.
He also defines friendship with Him in terms of obedience. We show our love for him by following His commands (even though our sinful nature gets in the way) out of respect, commitment, and love for Him.
This is not to earn His love, but because we want to obey out of our immense love and trust in Him.
And finally, He calls us friends because, unlike a servant who doesn’t know his master’s business, He has shared everything He had learned from His Father with His disciples (and us.)
There are no secrets between us. He trusts us enough to consider us confidants- sharing the very mind of God with us!
What a beautiful aspect of His friendship. Don’t we all want to have that one person who we can call day or night and talk to them about anything and everything?
Jesus is that friend. Take every burden, sorrow, secret, or trial to Him; knowing He completely understands and it will go no farther.
Let Him lead you on the path He has set before you. He truly is our most trusted friend.
Jesus Friend of Sinners Bible Verse
The Pharisees and teachers of the law frequently ridiculed Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus responded on one such occasion to explain, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Matthew 9:12.
Jesus never condoned sin, but wanted them to know that His Kingdom was accessible to all- especially those who sin or stray.
He tried to explain His mission by using the parable of the lost sheep. The Shepherd leaves the 99 to actively search for the one lost sheep. He rejoices when He finds it!
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:7.
In a scathing rebuke to the crowds, Jesus condemns the attitude of His generation, saying, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” Matthew 11:18.
They rejected Jesus and criticized the way He lived His life on earth.
But our friend Jesus came to seek sinners to share the good news that forgiveness was an option which leads to a completely transformed life.
I’m so glad Jesus calls us friends. Only He could make a way to save me, a helpless sinner in need of a Savior and a genuine friend.
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I Have a Friend in Jesus
What does it mean to be a friend of Jesus?
First of all, it means accepting His sacrifice on the cross as an atonement for our sin. When we come before Him in faith and repentance, our special friendship begins.
Jesus is our Best Friend
You could even say Jesus is your best friend. He tells us that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.
That is exactly how He showed His love for you and me. So yes, we can consider Jesus our very best friend.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Some qualities of a great friend include being a good listener, being trustworthy, reliable, and keeping their promises. There is not one box Jesus leaves unchecked. We need to show Him the same qualities in return.
He gave us His Word to know and understand Him better. How much time do you give to reading/studying the Bible? That is how He speaks to us; are you listening?
Communication is important in any relationship. Friendships can only thrive when we experience mutual conversations.
How often do you have conversations with Him? Prayer with your best friend should be more than a superficial, once a day encounter. He wants to hear about everything that concerns you or brings you joy. If it is in your heart, He wants to hear about it- every single joy, grateful thought, struggle, or painful moment.
Trusting in His promises is an important part of our friend relationship. Do you know them?
He promises us a full and abundant life, acceptance, rest, peace, joy, to fight for you, and a heavenly home; (just for starters!)Use them to anchor your soul to Jesus as you walk your faith journey with confidence and peace.
Even though we can’t enjoy His physical presence, He promises to be with us always.
He made good on that promise by giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We never have to feel alone, abandoned, or misunderstood.
And here’s what is sometimes hard for me to comprehend- He desires our closeness as well. He wants an intimate, mutual friendship that includes Him in all aspects of our lives.
He stands at our door each day and knocks (Revelation 3:20)-
“How are you doing today? Oh, just heading out? Maybe later…”
“I see you are sad; come sit with me. Oh, you’re busy on your phone… Maybe later…”
He won’t break down the door to meet with you. He wants you to open the door of your heart and meet with Him.
Jesus and Friendship
Jesus filled the last conversation with His disciples with the command to love one another in the same way He loves us. He is counting on us to go into the world showing others the love and connection that a friendship with Jesus brings.
All friendships take effort to maintain, and our friendship with Jesus is no different. The enemy is well aware of the beauty and benefits of our friendship with Jesus. He’ll do anything to interfere with it.
He sets up the fight in our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. We all struggle with the seeds of doubt he tries to plant. We give in daily.
Do not despair! Our precious Jesus has already won the victory over our lives! He has defeated and claimed victory over our enemy.
The devil may prowl the world like a hungry lion, but he is on a short leash.
Jesus also promises to help us in our struggle to fight the evil one. This is one of my favorite verses I pray each morning-
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2Thessalonians 3:3
What things in this world pull you away from your friendship with Jesus?
It’s helpful to have an honest chat with yourself and identify your weak spots. Then, when the enemy tempts us, we can easily repel his ways.
Jesus the True Friend
Our friendship with Jesus brings every good thing into our lives. Protect and cherish this relationship daily to live the rich and abundant life He has planned for you!
Blessings!
AnnMarie
All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.