BIBLE PASSAGE:
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 has a way of lifting your spirit. 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 friend knows by the topic of conversation that
it is not to be shared with others. Why? Because they know you and can
‘read’ you through the things you say.
Now, imagine that ‘someone’ is the Lord. Your personal friend may
have done a lot for you, but he or she 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”
That tells us that we can live with Him while we are still on earth, and
again 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 doesn’t it?
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 someone we
can thank for all the blessings we enjoy.
This is the relationship Jesus wants with you and me, and He proved it
on the cross. A large part of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are about
the death of Christ. These books 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,
wouldn’t you agree? 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, Jesus knew He was going to
the cross.
ACTION:
Questions to consider:
– Have I ever thought about Jesus as my closest friend?
We need to respect and reverence Him, and remember that He wants
to be our friend too! Even if we’ve been believers for many years, we
need to ask ourselves,
“Has Jesus become my best friend?”
When He is our friend, our earthly friendships flourish even more. Why?
Because we have learned to look at life more from His perspective. Since
He not only loves, but He IS love, then we understand love much better.
When we appreciate love, we learn to appreciate friends even more.
Whoever does not love does not
know God, because God is love.
(1 John 4:8)
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 struggle to 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.
Teach me to include You much more in all that I do. To have a friend,
I need to be a friend, so help me change my life in such a way that I
will be a friend to You, and to others.”
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