E112 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Abiding Through Friendship with Jesus - Part 3
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode # 112
Title: Abiding through Friendship with Jesus – Part 3
Date: June 26, 2023
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse(s): John 15:14 – “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”
Intro: The Christian faith as a system of belief restores the once-lost relationship with GOD. In the key verse, Jesus declares we are His friends and as such we are to obey His commands. These commands may also be thought of as guiding principles for us to follow.
In worship as in the world, cause and effect is at work.
Devotion focus: Jesus caused the wall of separation to fall away –
Throughout the passage in John 15, verses 1 through 17, Jesus explained how the relationship with GOD functions: He likens it to a vine, that’s Him, and branches, that’s us, and how GOD the Father cares for the relationship.
He makes a point the purpose for us within this restored relationship is that fruit (see Galatians 5:22-23) is evident in our lives. That’s the practical outworking between GOD and us. Then He explains the personal purpose, that of friendship. The evidence of this friendship is love for others as Jesus loves us, and joy.
All of the blessings of friendship with Jesus come through His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. When He ascended to Heaven and sat back on His throne, His authority as Almighty GOD went with Him. And now He exercises His power through His Spirit, for our benefit.
Let’s look at a few of these benefits named in a few verses of Scripture:
· Love - Romans 5:5 – ‘Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’ In this verse are mentioned hope, love, and the Holy Spirit, all blessings.
· Joy - John 15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus tells us the preceding passage of instructions, if you will, is meant to give us joy.
· Peace - John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Peace in this verse means quietness and rest. This contrast with life today, doesn’t it? And listen, Jesus didn’t mean the peace He gives will override all the busyness if we load our lives to the max with no time for quietness and times of true rest. Jesus left us His peace, and like love and joy, we must make allowances for them. How? By applying ourselves to learn the Biblical meanings and looking for opportunities to give these to others. This is part of what it means to love one another.
To abide with Jesus daily is to first, obey the commands of Scripture. Loving others requires at times we forgive them. When possible, help others without enabling their harmful behavior. To take joy in others when we can. To spend time with them. I have a nephew who likes spending time with me simply because I also like spending time with him. He told me once that other of his uncles doesn’t have time for him. Listen, when we don’t spend time with others, the message it sends of one of rejection. And I struggle with doing this because I have a lone-wolf mentality.
Now, there is a benefit to Jesus when we practice being a friend to Him. He likes us! It may seem mindboggling, but Jesus created the human race in the beginning just so He could spend time with people.
Listen to Genesis 3:8 & 9 –
Vs 8 - ‘And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Vs 9 - Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"}
Is GOD asking this of us? Friends seek out each other. An indifferent friend is no friend at all.
Summary: Friendship with GOD is something we may take for granted, but GOD doesn’t. Everything Jesus did during His life on earth as one of us was to restore the lost friendship between GOD and the human race.
Jesus takes joy in us. He likes spending time with us in prayer and Bible reading. Notice I did not say Bible study. We have reduced our interaction with GOD to a few minutes each week and that’s a danger of programmatic Bible study lessons.
Action to consider: How would you like it if a close friend responded to you with predisposed answers, attitudes, and a strict timeframe for interacting?
Is this what we’re doing with GOD?
Take time this week to sit down with your Bible and pray, asking GOD, asking Jesus, asking the Holy Spirit, to meet with you in their Word. Then read, looking for GOD in the pages. Not the mention of GOD, but look for Him within passages. The first 40 Psalms are full of interaction with GOD.
Last thing: read Psalm 142 slowly and ask yourself what is going on in that narrative.
Next week’s devotion: The Hazard of Abiding with Jesus