Grace – All the Way

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

– Henry Neufeld

4-5But God, rich in mercy, took action because he loved us so very much. Even though we were dead through the things we had done wrong, he brought us to life in Christ (you were saved by grace!) 6He then raised us up with him and made us sit in heavenly places with [in] Christ Jesus. 7This all took place so that in the ages to come he could show just how rich his grace is by his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith. Even that is not of yourselves—it’s God’s gift! 9It is not the result of works, so nobody can boast. 10For it is his workmanship that we are, created in Christ Jesus for good works. God prepared those works ahead of time so that we could walk in them [live that way].        Ephesians 2:4-10 [My paraphrase to break up a long Greek sentence!-HN]

There’s a famous story about an old lady who, after hearing a lecture on how the heavenly bodies move, challenged the lecturer and told him he was wrong, that the earth was a flat disk that rode on the back of a tortoise. Cleverly the scientist asked her what the tortoise was standing on.

“You’re very clever, young man, very clever,” said the old lady. “But it’s turtles all the way down!” [Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, via Wikipedia].

As humans, we don’t really like that kind of infinite regression, which is the point of the story. We want to find something solid on which to base whatever we’re doing. When it comes to our salvation there is no exception. We want to be able to look at our lives, our birth, our church membership, our good deeds, or just generally how cute we are, and find there a good solid reason why God would accept us. We’d really feel so much safer if we were truly (and of course successfully!) depending on ourselves.

This was called to my attention one night during a Bible study at our church (taught by Dr. Wesley Wachob). The text was Romans 1:1, and the phrase was “the gospel of God.” First let’s break out gospel. It’s “good news.” Now you can play with that word “of” quite a bit. God’s good news. The good news that leads to God. The good news that comes from God. The good news that is God.

All of those have some validity. But there is a key point that’s easy to miss. The gospel is not a new invention. God didn’t come up with it at the last moment as a stopgap measure. He wasn’t caught off guard by the plunge of the sin market (or perhaps explosion?) so that he had to bail out the universe with a hastily patched together and compromised infusion of 700 billion units of grace! The gospel is as old as God!

There wasn’t a time when people were saved by works. There is no time coming when people will be saved by works. When Paul searches for support for the gospel he goes back to Abraham. Joshua 24 tells us that Israel’s forefathers worshiped other gods, but then God came and called Abraham. Why? Grace. Period. Abraham obeyed, yes, but that call came by sheer grace. He hadn’t obeyed yet! What’s more, the grace wasn’t just for Abram, as he was called at the time. It was for everyone.

What about the Jewish law, the Torah? I’m glad you asked. That is also God’s gracious gift. That’s how God chose to educate the Israelites and teach them how to live. One of the most profoundly spiritual experiences of my life was studying through Leviticus with Jacob Milgrom’s commentary in the Anchor Bible series. Milgrom is a conservative Rabbi, not a Christian. He finds God’s gracious action in the way that God leads the Israelites through the laws. It’s not the laws and the sacrifices that “do” things—God does them. Our sacrifice doesn’t cause forgiveness. The Israelite worshiper sacrificed in obedience, but it was God who did the forgiving. You’d be amazed at how grace is woven into Leviticus!

God shows us grace in various ways. God graciously leads us in various ways, but no matter how far back, how far forward, how far down, or how far up we go, we never get to a point where it isn’t grace. God created us all. He’s the answer to that ultimate question—why is there something rather than nothing? Quite literally you and I are absolutely, utterly, inconceivably nothing whatsoever without God.

It is not as though we can go most of the way and then God helps us. We can’t start, we can’t continue, we can’t come within sight of our goal without God. We can’t even conceive of the need for the journey without God.

We were dead, kaput, finished, completely and utterly lost and completely and utterly unable to do anything about it, and completely unaware that we needed to do anything. God steps in. “But God . . .”

God won’t leave us a single platform, a single ledge, not even a tiny hook on which to hang our pride. It’s grace all the way down. When we think we’ve finished looking at what grace can do, we’re just going to find more grace below. ALL. THE. WAY!

We have no rights before God. He graciously gives them to us. We have no claim to make. No human being, no finite creature whatsoever has ever had any such claim, nor will they.

Why emphasize this so much? I could say that the Bible does, but to be more honest I find it horribly easy to doubt or forget completely.

When you get desperate, remember that it’s grace all the way. God isn’t surprised by your situation and he has always had a plan!

When you pray, remember that it’s grace all the way. You don’t have to get it right. Just talk to him.

When you fall, remember there is no hard landing when you’re in God’s grace. It’s grace all the way down.

Height, depth, length, width, (Ephesians 3:18) whether space or time, it’s grace all the way.

[reprinted from October 9, 2008]

 

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Make a Trade: Sorrow for Joy

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.      Acts 16:25 (HCSB)

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.      1 Corinthians 1:18 (HCSB)

There are so many examples in the Bible of people going through really rough times and yet they are able to move on, and move with joy. For me, joy is happiness that has nothing to do with circumstances. It comes from the LORD.

Paul and Silas are in a Roman prison. They have been stripped and beaten. They are thrown into a cell, their feet in stocks (Google that for a picture!), in the darkest, wettest part of the jail. And yet we are told that they pray and sing praises to God. No wonder that the other inhabitants of the slime pit are listening! At first I might listen in shock that such praises are happening in this location! But then it may seem that there is a lightness in such darkness. I listen with hunger.

I have often heard that a life of faith is a life of delusion. I would argue that point. I am quite aware of the circumstances in my life. I know about death. I know about mortal blows to my heart. Focusing on the pain or focusing on God and His promises is a choice. I usually can place a choice in each hand and weigh them out and make a choice. This choice defies all logic. In the middle of horrendous, even horrific, events – I choose to look at Jesus and lift my hands in praise. I may begin my singing and praying with tears and a heavy heart but I can promise you that before I finish one song my heart will have been lifted by the very power of God.

I know that this power of praise continued throughout Paul’s new life with Jesus because when he came near the end of his life he spoke of faithfully running a race (2 Timothy 4:7). In the time of the end of my life, spending it in a prison, chained to my jailor, is not in my hopes and dreams. Paul was still praising God.

If you are having a hard day or week or month or year or life, give this a try. Write down what you are thinking and feeling. A 3-4 sentence paragraph could be enough. Keep praise and worship music (hymns) going as you work, drive, or have dinner. Whatever style speaks to you – God doesn’t care as long as it’s about praising and worshiping Him. Keep that for three days. Then pull out your paragraph and write down another paragraph about what you are thinking and feeling. I pray that you will find some of your problems resolved. But I believe you will find your perspective has changed. You may find that you are no longer looking through just your own eyes but that you are, in fact, looking through Holy Spirit glasses. You might be struck down but not destroyed. You are now living in God’s joy which is the power of the Most High God.

Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman 

Trading My Sorrows by Darrell Evans

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Welcome Back

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.”           Mark 16:6-7 (The Message)

Lectionary texts: Judges 4:1-7, Psalm 123, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-30

The lectionary texts this week were a strange group to me. The connection is they all include God. (Yes, I am chuckling, too.) It was the passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 that took my mind, not to Paul, but to Peter.

God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.                 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (The Message)

God is not about rejection. And so He made a Way for me to be reconciled to Him. He held back nothing to make that possible. He provided the blood sacrifice. He provided the example that I am always to be about encouragement so that I increase hope in everyone that I come into contact. No one should ever be judged by me and so feel rejected by God and lose hope. I am Jesus’ ambassador and could be the first, even potentially the only, Jesus they meet. A judgmental, condemning attitude can destroy.

And so my mind went to Peter. How his story speaks to my fumbling, stumbling walk as a disciple of Jesus. Peter loudly proclaimed that he would never leave Jesus (Mark 14:29). And then Peter denied Jesus (Luke 22:54-62). Not just once but 3 times in one night! In Mark’s account we hear the announcing angel specifically speak Peter’s name so that no one hearing the message (including Peter) will even think that Peter is no longer the Rock that Jesus pronounced him to be. In John’s Gospel, Jesus asks the “love question” and the command to feed His sheep 3 times as if to cancel out each one of Peter’s denials (John 21: 15-19). Peter speaks to me when I am struggling through, giving me hope for every tomorrow.

We need encouragement. We certainly need correction and discipline. Too often I feel the need to give some person the correction personally. I do not give the Holy Spirit credit for His power to correct. And I do not keep God’s love in the forefront of my own relationship with Him as well as the service that I give to others in His name.

It is the time of year when “thanks” and “gratitude” may be more in our minds than usual. May I remember how many “chances” God has given me. May I remember how often Jesus has welcomed me back to His side. No sin is too dirty or disgusting that His Blood cannot completely cover it and it will be no more.

Let us greet all who are searching for a real “home”. Welcome back, in the Name of the LORD!

 

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Listen to God’s Love Song

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

In Matthew’s gospel after Jesus was baptized and went through 40 days of temptation in the desert, He began to preach. And His first proclamation was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”.

God loved us so much that He sent His Son, gave His Son as the only sacrifice that would wipe out my sins. Jesus was the blood sacrifice. And His first sermon was about repentance. “Turn away from your sinning, Jody. Make a change. Come My way. And live with the Father forever.” It’s that simple. But not easy.

Sin is the “comfortable” place where I am born. It is what my flesh wants to do. It is where my pride and my ego can live and grow. It takes little effort for me to do as I please. Like a child, I have to learn what is best for me. I have to obey my Father when He knows better than I do, when I do not see the consequences of my actions.

The thing is, God has this extravagant, overwhelming love for me. His motivation for desiring that I am obedient is – love. God is not about harsh discipline or seeing me suffer. He is about showing me, through Jesus’ example and His Spirit’s wisdom, how to live a life that is full of joy despite the hardships of this world. He wants me to see the treasures that are not destroyed by rust or age (Matthew 6:19).

Let’s spend time this weekend thinking, reading, listening to God’s love for each of us, allowing the words to become more. Consider: is it your spouse or sibling or parent just saying “I love you” or is it growing to know them and know their love in your heart. Let’s allow that to happen at a new level this weekend. Here are some passages to read when you get up in the morning or before bed at night or as you sit in the sun this weekend or in front of a warm fire with a warm drink. Pick a couple and give it a try.

Psalm 91

Psalm 121

Matthew 5

Luke 18

John 14

Romans 8

1 Corinthians 13

2 Corinthians 1

Ephesians 3

1 Peter 4

1 John 3

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Every Day with Praise

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

– Henry Neufeld

[reprinted from November 19, 2009]

1A praise song, for David.
I will exalt you, my God and King,
I will bless your name forever and ever.
2I will bless you every day,
I will praise your name, forever and ever.
3YHWH is great and fully deserves praise.
No one can fully comprehend his greatness.
4One generation praises your works to the next,
They tell of your heroic deeds.
5Of splendor, honor, and majesty,
Of your marvelous deeds I will sing! — Psalm 145:1-5 (HN)

The Psalms are a wonderful book, not only for the many things we can learn from them, but because they provide us with something to read or to pray for almost any mood and any occasion. When we’re down, there are laments (Psalm 28). When we’re up, there are short, lively praise Psalms (Psalm 150). In trouble, we find prayers for safety and rescue (Psalm 140). Ready to meditate? Look for Psalms of wisdom (Psalm 104), telling you of God’s power (Psalm 29), his law (Psalm 19, Psalm 119), and his covenant (Psalm 89). Angry? You can even find some Psalms with a tone of vengeance (Psalm 137). Overcome by temptation? There are Psalms of penitence (Psalm 51, Psalm 32). (The Psalms in parentheses are just examples.)

There is a time and place for all of these things, and there are ways for us to bring our joys and our sorrows to God on all those occasions and more. God can handle the way you’re feeling and can help to lift you up from wherever you are to place your feet on a rock.

But there is something that we find easy to leave out of our life, and that’s praise. I know some of you will wonder just what I mean. After all, you praise the Lord in church on Sunday. Perhaps you play praise music in your home during the week. I know some people who leave songs of praise on the CD player 24/7. That’s not a bad thing.

But have you ever come to a time of prayer when you have a hard time finding something for which you can thank God? Maybe you are having one of those days in one of those months in one of those years, or at least it feels like it. The idea of expressing praise to God seems hypocritical in some way. You’re not feeling thankful, why should you speak thanks? If you’ve never been in such a place, I envy you. If you understand what I’m talking about, read on.

Even when you don’t feel thankful, there are things to be thankful for. I recall sitting down to eat one night recently after a day in which almost everything went wrong. I did not feel like praising God or thanking anyone. I started my prayer by saying, “Lord, you know I’m not feeling thankful right now, but I’m going to thank you anyhow.” Once I had said that, I started to remember things for which I really was thankful. There were blessings the day before, and I knew there would be blessings the day after, and at a minimum, I could thank God that I had a roof over my head and a meal to sustain me while I yelled at him!

There are Psalms for your bad moods. Take advantage of them. Realize that you can be honest with God. But remember the Psalms for all the time. “I will bless you every day!” Yes, even on the bad ones. Even on the day of your death. “Of splendor, honor, and majesty . . . I will sing.” God’s splendor, honor, and majesty don’t diminish when I have a bad day.

There may be a duty here, a duty to praise, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the benefit of praise. If I deny myself the opportunity to praise God when I’m down, I’m going to stay down. Things are going to get worse, not better. I need to praise, because I need to get out of the pit and get on with life. Psalm 145:1-5 gives me that opportunity. These things are not things that change with the moment. They are there all the time. You can honestly praise God, no matter what.

“I will bless you every day!” Call that a plan!

 

 

 

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What if …

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:26-28 (NLT)

“What if we all asked ourselves, what if…and we all undertook one what if thought…and we had a what if serv-o-lution?”  – Renee Crosby, author of “Soup Kitchen for the Soul” (ISBN: 1-893729-79-6)

God does not even respect the “sanctity” of my workplace. He came barging into my spirit through a book that I was proofreading called “Soup Kitchen for the Soul” and spoke to me in no uncertain terms about being a servant. He wasn’t interested in how successful I was in the world but how successful I was in being a servant to whomever and wherever He sent me.

“…whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40). Before I start making a list of what I am going to start doing, Jesus’ words have come to my mind “When you give, do not announce it with a trumpet like a hypocrite” (Matthew 6:2). The only applause that I seek is in heaven. I believe one of the extraordinary sights that I will behold in heaven is the humble servants, unknown to me on earth but great in God’s Kingdom.

Do I see those of whom that Jesus speaks? Have I watched Jesus speak to them throughout the Scripture so I can follow His example? Are my ears open to His words or is the voice of my own judgment drowning Him out? What if I took a step outside my “comfortable” life and offered a drink to someone who was thirsty or a shelter to someone who was homeless? What if I reached out to someone who was sick or needed an encouraging word? What if?

“…go and make all the nations into my disciples…and teach them everything I have taught…” (Matthew 28:19-20). I have been outside this country on mission trips. Whatever I have done in obedience to Jesus’ commands, He has blessed me more than I can list. The people I have met who walk their faith every day down roads that are not paved and yet, they see Jesus as their companion. What more do they need?

Whether the “mission” that Jesus calls me to be a part is in my living room with my children or grandchildren or thousands of miles where I do not have a permanent place to lay my head, it is my willingness to freely share what I have learned that pleases my LORD. It is not the level of my education or the size of my bank account. There is always someone who needs a word of encouragement or a hand of care. What if I am willing?

“…you will receive power when my Spirit comes on you and you will be witnesses…to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Oh, how small I am in the expanse of God’s Kingdom. And, yet, it was His plan that I share who He is wherever I went and whoever I met. It was always about relationships.  The  relationship of God with His children. The relationship of His children with each other. It is the power of God’s Spirit that will direct and guide me, giving me the words to say and when to say them.

What happens in the church building is only the beginning of what God has planned. My life is Jesus’. Like a soldier in an army, Jesus is my Commander-in-Chief and I am here to serve and obey.

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.     Colossians 3:3-4 (NLT)

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My Lord AND My Friend

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from November 12, 2009]

Henry Neufeld

11Moses tried to appease YHWH his God. He said, “Why are you getting so angry with your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great strength and a mighty hand? 12Why would you let the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out here into these mountains for an evil purpose, to kill them and to wipe them from the face of the ground. Repent from your furious anger and rethink the disaster you are bringing against your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants and they will inherit it forever. — Exodus 32:11-13 (HN)

There’s a constant tension in scripture between God’s great power and authority, which we call “sovereignty” and his closeness, mercy and willingness to answer prayer. Theologians use the terms transcendence and immanence. Transcendence means that God is tremendously “other” than what we are, unimaginably more powerful. Immanence means that God is very close to us. In Christianity, both are seen as true about God.

Individually we have a harder time seeing it. For some of us, God is so sovereign that he is unapproachable. How could I possibly dare argue with God. We don’t really pray for anything, and then we say “let your will be done.” On the other hand, many of us view the presence of God as something fun and friendly, sort of like having a puppy around, only more powerful. Those of us like this tend to demand things of God in prayer and give him instructions.

I think Moses struggled with all of this, but he managed to get an excellent balance. He was able to submit to God’s sovereignty. If you don’t believe me, simply read Exodus and see how many times God tells Moses to do something that doesn’t seem to make much sense, and yet when Moses knows God has given an order, he obeys. Look at all the detailed instructions for the tabernacle and for the laws of Israel. To accept all of those laws would require someone who was willing to submit to God’s sovereignty.

But Moses knows God very well, and he knows when something doesn’t make sense. It’s hard the get the sense of the first line of our text today. One of my Hebrew lexicons gives the following possibilities: to soften by caressing, to appease, to flatter. The Contemporary English Version reads “Moses tried to get the Lord God to change his mind.” Eugene Peterson, in The Message, paraphrases it as “Moses tried to calm his God down.”

Is all this respectful? Well, I would hardly want to argue that I have a better relationship with God than Moses did. Moses knew God. He had talked with him personally. He was well aware of the powerful presence of God and of his transcendence. He knew that God was powerful and knew everything. But he also knew that God was a covenant God, filled with mercy and compassion, and that God had a plan.

So Moses steps out on the basis of this strong relationship and says, “God, this isn’t like you! You promised. You put your power on display. You better think again about what you’re doing.” And God has mercy. Now I’m not going to spend my time worrying about whether God actually changed his mind or did what he would have done anyhow. That’s all good theology, but the Bible doesn’t present this as “good theology.” It just presents it as God intending to do one thing, and God’s servant Moses persuading God to do it some other way. Sometimes we’re so worried about good theology that we can’t just read and absorb the Bible story.

Here there is good experience, and a good relationship. Is your relationship with God up to a few arguments? Are you so certain of God’s character that you can get down on your knees and say, “God, this isn’t like you. I can’t believe you’re going to do it. You need to think again!”

I’m not saying you’ll be right. I’m not telling you that God will agree with you. Maybe he will and maybe he’ll say, “I know better.” But the Biblical example here gives us permission to challenge God on the basis of his word and his character.

 

 

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All the Saints

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Lectionary Texts from All Saint’s Day: Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 34:1-10, 22, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”       Revelation 14:13 (NLT)

All Saint’s Day is a day of remembrance for all those who have faithfully served and have gone on to the reward that Jesus has promised us. The church that I attend has a time during worship to call the names of those in our fellowship who have died this year. You can feel the grief in the room whether it has been a week or 20 years since a loved one has died.

It is this passage from Revelation 14 that comes to my mind when I think of those who have gone from my life. I choose to focus, not on their death, but on their promised life and all that I have learned from them about how to live in the Hope that is Jesus.

All of these lectionary texts reflect God’s promises for what will be in our life with Him. His promises for now are about how He will equip us to make it through the trials and tribulations of this world. Jesus came and lived here 30+ years to show us how to live with the victory in our spirit, not in the circumstances of our lives. He died, made atonement, so that we could have an eternal victory that will be more than we can imagine and last longer than we can comprehend.

This is the Good News that we can share all over the world. Through tsunamis, earthquakes, floods,  hurricanes, terrorist attacks, criminal acts or no-one-at-fault accident, this world hands out circumstances that are beyond difficult to walk through, much less understand. Children are left as orphans and “collateral damage” becomes an off-hand remark from a media bite. People are left with gaping holes in their hearts; in their spirits. What can bring comfort in these circumstances?

When someone we love dies, it is always too soon. Suppose God, in His great love, said, “Jody, this person that you love must die before you. I am going to let you choose the day.” How could I possibly choose a time? What day or night would be “better” than another? When would it be less painful? It is a decision much too great for me! I am grateful that God knows better than I do.

Now is the time to read the lectionary passages for this day when I remember the saints. It is in these passages that I hear the extravagant love of God. I hear His promises and know that all will come to pass as He has said. He has kept His promises and He isn’t going to stop keeping them.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.  1 John 3:1-3 (NLT)

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Enough Love to Go Around

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from May 14, 2009]

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.”       John 10:14-16 (CEV)

What if the place where you worship every week had a sign out front that only said, “CHURCH”? That’s it. No denominational symbol or name. No indication if the building was the “First” or “Second” or “Last” or “Only”. I ask this question because after reading Jesus’ words about His identity as shepherd and and His identification of me as a sheep, I do not think there was a denominational name on the front of His sheep pen. I think the sheep are identified by their connection to the shepherd.

Jesus says He is a good and knowledgeable shepherd. Jesus is the True One who tends those He has been given by the Father. He cares for us even to the point of giving His life for us. We know that! We celebrate that in our weekly worship!

Jesus says He has sheep in different pens. He is telling His Jewish disciples that they aren’t the exclusive sheep! This is a hard concept for them. They have grown up knowing they are the Chosen People. Now Jesus says they aren’t the only ones He wants in His one flock.

To go back to my original question: What if the place where you worship every week had a sign out front that only said, “CHURCH”? Fellow sheep would come in based on the hearts of the sheep they found in that pen because we would be following the same Shepherd, right?

“I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you.”            John 15:9 (CEV)

Which sheep does Jesus love best? ALL who hear His voice and remain faithful in His love for them.

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Friend Forever

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”        John 15:12-13 (The Message)

Friendship has been on my mind lately. There is a popular phrase: BFF (best friend forever) that seems to be used without much thought or definition.

I have recently spent some time with three people that I count as friends. Here is my definition of a friend: We are both better when we leave each other than we were when we met.

My friend was not my choice, but God’s. I prayed for a BFF before I knew what that was. I thought we would spend time drinking hot tea and laughing about – whatever. Instead we have prayed together and interceded for each other in the middle of the night; offered comfort and kicked each other in the backside when needed. And, yes, we have had some cups of tea. I thank God that He gave me what I needed – and abundantly.

My friend is not separated by geography or time. “We haven’t seen each other in two years and yet we have sat here for two hours and talked like it was yesterday,” she said. Jesus said that I should love the way He loves me. To me that means that I love first not in response to a love. Jesus then says that I should put my life down for my friend. It means that I am willing to give my all to encourage and empower them to be all she can be. I pray. I encourage. I can be counted on to build up, not tear down.

My friend – my spouse. Too often I forget that the #1 friend in my life is my spouse. Everything that I have said in the above paragraphs applies to my husband. Love as Jesus has loved me and lay down my life, my wants, for my husband’s wants. And at the end of the day, have my words and actions left my husband feeling better than when he started his day? Ouch. There’s something to take before my LORD and allow Him to shine His Light on all dark corners in my life!

Friends can be many and varied. They are wonderful to come together to break bread and celebrate our joys and even to bring comfort in difficult days. It is those few friends that know the miracles of every day life. Remember that in Jesus’ life it was only three (Peter, James, and John) who saw Him transfigured (Matthew 17:1-8) and the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:40-56). There were only the three who were closest to Him in His prayer time in the Garden. Jesus shows me to keep only very few close

Which brings me to the One who called me His friend before I even knew Him.

[Jesus said,]“You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.”              John 15:14-15 (The Message)

Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, calls me His friend. Let’s stop and think about that using His definition of a friend that are in these verses of John 15. Soak in the love that is all about what is good for me and will lift me even when I am living in this difficult, suffering world. Jesus has already laid down His life for me. And He didn’t stop with that perfect gift.

Take a 3-4 minutes, choose a song, and listen to a song about friendship with Jesus.

I am a Friend of God, written & sung by Israel Houghton 

What a Friend We Have in Jesus, (Joseph Scriven, 1855) sung by Alan Jackson 

 

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