Are You a Friend of God?

James 4:4 - You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

I have been thinking lately about why so many in this generation can claim Jesus as their Savior but not live for Him. To live year after year with one foot deep in the world and the other in the church. Many have been raised in Christian homes, gone to church all their lives, know the language and music yet, there is no change in lifestyle or behavior; nothing to set them apart from the world. Other than the fact that they attend church on Sunday morning. I am afraid that many in this generation have believed a lie from the enemy of their soul disguised as an angel of light. The lie that they can "accept Jesus as Savior", say a prayer, walk down an aisle, bend a knee and they are good to go, heaven bound! Still embracing the same lifestyle as before, because after all, "Jesus is my friend", right?

Could it be that many churches today are preaching and teaching a one sided Jesus? A "Jesus is your friend", all inclusive Jesus? A Jesus that is accepting of us no matter what? Don't misunderstand what I just said. Jesus is all inclusive, He does accept us when we come to Him, "just as we are", but part of as we are is with an understanding that we have remorse over our sinful condition, we are not just sorry we are caught in our sin or that our "poor choices, or mistakes" have been found out, NO we are truly sorrowful over our sin. We realize that Jesus is God, He is Holy and we deserve death, not mercy or grace. We realize what He did on the Cross of Calvary was for our personal sin not just the world's. We enter into a personal relationship with the true and living God. It doesn't stop with a get into heaven "Free" card!

The problem with seeing Jesus as only our friend is we leave out the biggest side of His character and person. He is STILL HOLY! He does have a standard of right and wrong. He does have moral absolutes. Truth is not "relative" to each person's situation or morals. He is TRUTH and His Word is Truth! He does require some things of those who say they love Him. So maybe we have done this generation a dis-service by teaching them that "Jesus is their friend"?

The truth is we are the ones who need to do the accepting of HIM! Maybe we just haven't taught them about the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus in John Chapter 8 who told the woman caught in adultery..."woman where are your accusers?...they are gone she told Jesus, to which he replied, "neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more". He didn't embrace her sinful behavior or excuse it, nor did he condemn her...he did have an absolute about her sin, "don't' do it again". This same Jesus of the bible said in Matthew 7:12-14 "Wide is the gate that leads to destruction, many there will be who find it ", "Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, few there will be that find it". Again, the Jesus of the bible told his disciples in John 8:30-31 "If you are truly my disciples, you will continue in My Word." This same Jesus talked alot about denying yourself, picking up your cross and following Him. What happened to teaching the Jesus of the Bible?

God's word tells us that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. So maybe what we should be teaching them is that they need to be "a friend of God". We teach so much about Jesus accepting us "where we are", but what we should be teaching is that we must accept Him completely. If we are a friend of God we will spend time getting to know Him, talking to Him, sharing our life with Him. We will go the places He wants us to go. We will live a life set apart unto Him. We will understand that to be friends with the world would betray our friendship with God. We will follow the Jesus of the Bible, not some watered down, Jesus made in our image version!

So, is Jesus our friend? I guess that depends on where you stand with Jesus? He told the disciples after they had walked with him for three years and witnessed His miracles, heard His teaching, believed in HIM, left all to follow Him, that they were indeed His friends, so yes He can be our friend, but I believe a much better question to ask is...AM I A FRIEND OF GOD?
Renee

Lessons Learned at Volleyball Practice...Lesson 2

I thought when I signed my youngest daughter up to play volleyball with our local home school team that the practice times would be for her learning, not mine! I never imagined God would use the time there to teach me some valuable life lessons!

Lesson #2 - "If You Move Your Feet Commit"

Another phrase I often hear the coaches say during volleyball practice is "move your feet, commit". Ok, so maybe it's just me but these phrases just stick in my head and begin to connect to my spiritual walk. So here goes....

So what does it look like to "move your feet - commit" in your spiritual walk? It looks like serving. Whatever spiritual gifts God has given you, it is your responsibility to develop the gift within you. Ask God where He wants you to "move your feet", then move in that direction and commit and follow through.

As I have watched the girls during volleyball practice there are times when they know they have a good shot at returning the ball, so they move their feet, call out "mine" and follow through with the return. Then there are other times when they are not so sure, but they move their feet, whisper a weak "mine", hesitate to follow through and the other team gets the point.

It's the same way in our commitment to use our spiritual gifts. Sometimes we "know" we have a good shot (with Christ's help) and so we step out in confident faith to use our spiritual gift and the "return" is great! Then there are those times when we step out in wavering faith, hesitant and reluctant, knowing we are called to take the shot but not sure how it will end up. That's why it's called stepping out in "faith". God just wants us to listen to His coaching, practice what we have learned, shape and sharpen the gifts within us and then "move our feet - commit".

Lessons learned During Volleyball Practice.....

I thought when I signed my youngest daughter up to play volleyball with our local home school team that the practice times would be for her learning, not mine! I just figured it would be a time for me to sit and watch; maybe learn about the game, catch up on some reading or talk to friends. I never imagined God would use the time there to teach me some valuable life lessons!

During the volley ball clinic I heard one of the coaches say, "focus on your target". She repeated this phrase all week. I don't know if it stuck with the players, but I can tell you it stuck with me. I kept hearing it in my head all week. The following devotion is what came from that little phrase:

Today was my youngest daughter's first day at a volleyball clinic. She thinks she might be interested in playing on our local homeschooling volleyball team in the fall so I thought doing the clinic first would give her a chance to see if this was her thing or not. She loved it!

While I was listening to the coaches instruct the girls on their passes, I heard one say, "Focus on your target, if you don't focus on the target you will miss it everytime." I thought to myself....what an excellent lesson to teach these young girls, so practical and yet so profound! A lesson not only for sports but for many things in life. Whether it's for setting personal, professional, educational, financial, or relational goals you must focus on your target.

For me it was a spiritual lesson today. As a believer in Jesus Christ in order for me to achieve victory in my spiritual walk I must "focus on the target". God's Word tells me in Philippians 3:12-14 -"Not that I have already obtained it or have become perfect, but I press on that I may lay hold of that, for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus, Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In other words Jesus is at the finish line and He is my target. I must focus on my target.

So, what is your target? Or maybe a better question would be, is it one worth focusing on?

Focusing on My target, (more to come...)