Who I am in Christ: I am Christ’s Friend

I mentioned last week that I was starting a new series focusing on Who we are in Christ.  Last week I shared I am God’s Child so if you didn’t see it make sure you go check it out.  Today I want to  focus on I am Christ’s Friend.

John 15:14,15   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.

How many of you have a really good friend? You know that person that  you can share anything with.  That you can call whenever you need to?  One who will tell you what you need to hear not always what you want to hear?

What are the qualities of a good friend?

• Good listener
• Low maintenance
• Not easily offended
• Available
• Loyal
• Authentic

Jesus is ALL these things to us. He’s a fabulous listener.   He’s available for us at anytime.  He’s certainly low maintenance.  He’s loyal and there for us when we don’t deserve it. Wow! Isn’t Jesus great?

But then  I had a sobering thought, do I have the same qualities of a friend towards Jesus as He does towards me? Am I a good listener?  Am I available? Am I low maintenance or is everything all about me in this relationship?  Am I authentic and share what I’m really feeling, not just what I think he wants to hear?   Hmmm…. I’m thinking I have some work I need to do in the friend department.

How do you measure up to being a good friend to Jesus?  Look at this list of qualities of a good friend. How would you rate yourself in these areas? 5 (always) 4 (usually) 3 (sometimes) 2 (rarely) 1(never).  This is not to bring condemnation, it’s just to make you aware.  You can’t change what you’re not aware of.

1. Am I a good listener? Do I listen to what he says or am I the only one who talks?

2. Am I low maintenance or clingy and needy, demanding it to be all about me?

3. Am I easily offended? Do I jump to conclusions if my needs aren’t met right away or I feel ignored?

4. Am I available? Does He have to wait days for me to meet with Him or do I drop everything when He calls?

5. Am I loyal to Him? Do I act like I know Him on Monday or Tuesday? Will I stand up for Him and defend Him?

6. Am I authentic with Him? Do I tell Him how I’m really feeling? Or do I just say what I think He wants to here? Or just pretend I don’t feel anything?

Do you have things you need to work on like I do?  Remember it’s not a condemnation if you do. 🙂

Jesus doesn’t just love us he likes us! He wants to spend time with us so we can just enjoy each other like we would with a close girlfriend. I grew up thinking He has to love me because he is love, but does he like me or just tolerate me because he has to?  I’m learning that YES he truly does! One of my life verses that I’ve carried through the years is:

Zeph. 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst,  a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness;  he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

He celebrates us!  Think of your very favorite birthday party where you were enjoyed and celebrated.  That’s what he wants to do with us if we receive it and let him.

This week I’d like to challenge you to have coffee with Jesus a few times just like you would a girlfriend!  This may feel really uncomfortable, but Jesus really loves coffee Hee Hee! 🙂 Seriously he wants to spend that special intimate time with you sharing your concerns, listening to what he says, just spending time together.  If it feels weird tell him that, ask Him to help it feel natural. There is nothing better than feeling comfortable with a close friend.

Ponder your relationship.  Is it more like a boss/slave or is it friend to friend?   Let me know if you have any questions.

I’d love to have you follow along with this series.  Don’t we all want to live that abundant life?  You can subscribe to my RSS Feed or sign up to receive daily Emails delivered to your inbox . You can also follow along via Facebook, Google + or .Twitter.

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