But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 NLT
Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15 NLT
Every now and then a department store in my area will have what they call a “Friends and Family Sale.” During that sale, if you are a regular customer, you are encouraged to bring friends and family with you to shop, and they will get the same benefits you get with your card and discount code. It’s a true treat because you have a relationship with someone in “the family.” That’s actually how I started shopping there.
In a far bigger way, Jesus was the original “friends and family” plan. Jesus came from heaven with an invitation to know God personally – to be friends and family with God Himself. He didn’t come to resurrect a new religion or give new life to an old religion. He came to welcome us into relationship with God through Himself.
Think of the way He came. He came as a helpless child through the body of a woman, the way we all come. He came to be raised in a humble home with His mother and stepfather Joseph raising Him. He could have come fully grown and powerful, but He grew up in a family with siblings to have relationship with people.
Think of why He came. The relationship with God our Father He had designed from a heart of perfect love because He wanted more than the angels and the created world – He wanted people who could choose relationship with Him. But that relationship got broken because of sin. God was not content to remain distant and broken – He was a patient, seeking Father, and Jesus came willingly on His behalf to be the way back to the Father (John 14:6).
Think of how His coming changed everything. His coming opened the door for us to be friends and family with God Himself! Through Jesus, we now have the right to become children of God. Jesus calls us His friends. Amazing. Think you’re too far gone? No. Jesus readily identified as a friend of sinners (Matthew 11:19). I think Matthew particularly loved telling this part because he was a tax collector, a notorious sinner and disliked person when Jesus called Him.
Think of how Jesus invites us into relationship. It’s not an invitation to a simple decision or prayer. It’s a call to follow Him. To be friends with the King. To have an ongoing transforming relationship that makes us more and more like Him. O, what a King! What a Father! What a Friend! What a Relationship!
- Thank God for His amazing love; that He has made you His friend and His child. Share your joy with someone.