WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  (John 15:5 NKJV)

When Jesus began His ministry to make the invisible God visible, He wasted no time gathering disciples, whom He called friends (John 15:15). In fact, Jesus was criticized for some of His friendships (Luke 7:34). But He persisted – and still persists – in embracing those who would embrace Him (John 15: 14, 16). What greater honor can there be than publicly to be called God’s friends?

God calls us to be His friends. What does friendship entail? Surely it involves spending time, sharing delights, bearing problems, and divulging intimacies. It requires common interests and shared values, similar objectives and unity of heart. Most of all it involves laying down your life for your friends (John 15:13) – and that is exactly what Jesus did for us. It is true that “there are ‘friends’ that destroy each other” (Proverbs 18:24a). They do it by controlling, demanding, betraying, and abusing. They are friends in name only. But a “real friend sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24b). And that is the kind of friendship God extends to us – incredibly – and expects from us in return. 

– Excerpted from “Daily Study Bible for Men” with daily studies by Stuart Briscoe

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THE INVISIBLE IN THE VISIBLE

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -- His eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”  (Romans 1:20 NIV)

In every wind that blows, in every night and day of the year, in every sign of the sky, in every blossoming and in every withering of the earth, there is a real coming of God to us if we will simply use our starved imagination to realize it. 

-- Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest”

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HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE YOUR FAITH

"Ever since the creation of the world God's eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things God has made." (Romans 1:20)

When I was in high school, I was the drum major for our marching band. When we would perform on the football field or in a parade, the band director would always say, “People listen with their eyes.” In other words, if band members were out of step or out of line, the audience would perceive the band to be out of tune.

I have come to realize the same thing holds true with our faith. People cannot see your faith. So they judge your faith by what they can see. People will trust their eyes long before they will ever trust your words. What do your visibles say about the invisible things you believe?  

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson

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THE REAL AND PERCEPTIBLE SPIRIT

“Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.”  (John 3:8 CEV)

We feel the breath of the wind upon our cheeks, we see the dust and the leaves blowing before the wind, we see the vessels at sea driven swiftly towards their ports; but the wind itself remains invisible. Just so with the Spirit; we feel His breath upon our souls, we see the mighty things He does, but Himself we do not see. He is invisible, but He is real and perceptible.

-- R. A. Torrey in “The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit”

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WHAT’S VISIBLE AND WHAT’S NOT

Houses are visible, but homes are not.  Churches can be seen, but the fellowship of believers that makes the church is an invisible spirit.  Citizenship papers are seeable, touchable, and weighable, but patriotism is not.  A marriage license is purchasable, but love is not.  Birthday and anniversary gifts can be measured in terms of dollars and cents, but thoughtfulness and appreciation cannot.

-- Harold E. Kohn

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