WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,
so that you also may have fellowship with us. And
our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son,
Jesus Christ.” We write this to make our joy complete.
(1 John 1:3-4)

MEDITATION:
When you are good friends with someone, and you are asked about
him or her, you usually tell others a lot of good things about them,
don’t you? You want others to know how much you value and
cherish their friendship.

If someone crosses paths with your friend, you want them to know
what’s special about them. You would like them to be appreciative
of their character as much as you are, and to become friends with
them as well, right?

What are the things about them that make you enjoy their friendship?
It could be the way they lift your spirits and the encouragement they
give you. You may enjoy just talking to them, or maybe you appreciate
their compassionate and caring attitude. Whatever it is, you are glad to
tell others about them and their good qualities, aren’t you?

This is how John felt about his relationship with the Lord.
He wanted others to be friends himself, so that they would
in turn become friends with God the Father, His Son Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Can you blame him?

We should have the same attitude and concern as John. Whenever
we communicate and fellowship with the Lord, we should have a
natural desire to see others do the same. Why? Because we have
discovered that when we fellowship with the Trinity, we appreciate
their characteristics, their love, and their concern for us, and want
these things to be a part of our lives as well.

In a world that can seem dark and gloomy at times, we know how
our days can be brightened and how our spirits are lifted when we
are fellowshipping with our Creator, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

When we feel the crush of disappointments, frustrations, sicknesses,
and other things that are unpleasant, we know how we can take our
concerns to our loving Father and He will hear us. Why? Because He
loves us!! When we are aware of, and reflect on His love, we have an
appreciation for the soothing effect He can have on us when we are
dealing with any challenging issues in our lives.

We should remember that when God made us, we were made in
an image and likeness of Him. God has purposes for making us,
but the main reason is for us to fellowship with Him. All of His
other purposes for us are determined and driven by this basic
desire of God to fellowship with us.
    Then God said, “Let us make
    mankind in our image, in our likeness…
    (Genesis 1:26a)

    God is faithful, who has called you into
    fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
    (1 Corinthians 1:9)

    May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
    love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
    be with you all.
    (2 Corinthians 13;14)

When we fail to fellowship with Him, we can develop a feeling of
being lost and confused. This feeling can cause us to sense there is
an important part of living (really living) we are missing. Without
a loving fellowship with God, we know we are missing out on the
overall happiness we could be enjoying.

As a result of this unhappiness, some try many different things in
their search for peace and joy. However, their efforts increase their
frustrations when they realize they cannot find happiness in financial
security, recreational activities, sinful pleasures, achievements, etc.

There is a song with a phrase “looking for love in all the wrong places”.
God is the ultimate source of love, and He is the One we should look
to for finding real love, happiness, peace and joy. Until we cozy up to
Him, we will continue searching for completeness ‘in all the wrong places’.
Only those who have a relationship with God, know that He is real,
know that His Word is true, and know that peace and happiness can
be found in a close fellowship with Him.

John found joy in his relationship and fellowship with God! He
tells us he would be even happier if others could also develop
the type of relationship he has with our Creator. John wanted
others to be friends with him, so they could appreciate the joy
he found in being friends with the Lord. God was real to John
and he had a burning desire for Him to be real to others as well.

Think about John’s efforts and what they mean. If loving the Lord
was merely some kind of fad, then John would probably have tried
to persuade others to fellowship with Him. But John wanted others
to ‘see’ and ‘know’ how God was alive in his own life as a way of
encouraging them to ‘seek the Lord’. Consequently, he didn’t coerce
anyone, but chose instead to love others into a relationship with God.

ACTION:
Are you struggling through life searching for peace and happiness?
Where do you go in your efforts to fulfill these needs? If you haven’t
already done so, wouldn’t it be a good idea to consider turning away
from the world’s solutions, and turn to the real source for fulfillment
which is, God our Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit?

This Godly Trinity can provide what the world will not, because it cannot.
We have an opportunity to learn from John’s experiences with his own
relationship with the Lord, and it should be our motivation to at least
consider (try) what he said about fellowshipping with God.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your desire to fellowship
with me. Forgive me if I have overlooked my opportunity
for being friends with You. Turn my focus and attention
away from the world and what it offers, and help be to turn
to You instead. I want to be able to tell others about my love
and fellowship with You, and to encourage them to seek Your
friendship as well.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com