ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A TRUE FRIEND WHO IS TRUSTWORTHY?

SCRIPTURE:
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation 
through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we
are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.  
(1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

MEDITATION:
Think about someone you really enjoy being with.
You can be having a bad day, but that person can just lift your spirits.
If you need to discuss something in confidence, 
you can depend on that person to keep it confidential.
In fact, you don’t even have to tell him or her 
not to say anything about it to anyone else.
A close personal friend knows by the topic of conversation 
that it is not to be shared with others.

Now, imagine that ‘someone’ is the Lord.
Your personal friend may have done a lot for you, but he hasn’t died for you.
Jesus has such great love for you that He did die for you.
He did that so that you could spend eternity with Him.

But did you notice what the scripture in Thessalonians said?
“whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him”.
Of course that means that we can live with Him while we are still on earth,
and after death when we meet Him and live with Him in our heavenly home.

When we live with Jesus in our daily lives, everything changes.
We have a constant companion with whom we can discuss any concerns.
We have a “go to” comrade whenever we need guidance in making decisions.
We have a close friend with whom to share the joys of life, 
and one to thank for all the blessings we enjoy.

This is the relationship Jesus wants with you and He proved it on the cross.
One-third of Matthew and one-third of Mark are about the death of Christ. 
One-fourth of Luke and one-half of John also talk about His death.
All these scriptures are devoted to the last 24 hours of His life in human form.

With that much dedicated to His death, we know it must be important. 
The death of Jesus Christ is a significant fact in human history, 
because Jesus Christ came for the express purpose of dying for sinners. 
When He left heaven, He knew He was going to the cross.

ACTION:
Have you ever thought about Jesus as your closest friend?
You need to respect and reverence Him, but He wants to be your friend!
Even if you have been a believer for many years, 
has Jesus become your best friend?

When He is your friend, your earthly friendships flourish even more.
Why?
Because you learn to look at life more from His perspective.
Since He not only loves, but He IS love, then you understand love much better.
When you appreciate love, you learn to appreciate friends even more.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son for my benefit.
Thank You Jesus for going to the cross for me, even though I didn’t 
deserve it. Thank You for loving me when I am unlovable. Thank 
you for blessing me when I don’t deserve Your blessings. Thank you 
for forgiving me when I am unforgivable and cannot even forgive 
myself. I deserve Your judgment, yet You have given me forgiveness 
and eternal life. Thank You for reaching out to be my closest friend. 
Help me to include You much more in all that I do. To have a friend, 
I need to be a friend, so help me to change my life in such a way that 
I will be a friend to You.”