God is my Creator, Redeemer, Master, Judge and Saviour. Yet about all of these, He is my friend. What an incredible thought it is, that God desires to be my friend! The Bibilical model for this friendship is what we see with Adam and Eve in their relationship to God. They delighted in God and He delighted in them. Since the fall, humans, created to live continually in God’s presence, have been seperated from Him, but now, through becoming Christians, we can once again have communion with Him.
Warren provides two ways I can become God’s best friend. The first is through constant conversation. This involves including God in every area of my life. Through constantly praying to God throughout the day, I can stay close to Him. Most of this section is drawn from Brother Lawrence’s “Practicing the Presence of God.” I was disappointed to see so many references to a book written by a monk. Admittedly I have not read the book, but was concerned that his suggestions might lead to a restrictive, rote type of Christianity. He even recommends setting my watch on an hourly cycle so when it rings I will remember to pray. This is rooted in the traditions of Benedictine monks. I agree that it is important to think about God and to focus on Him more than just during a daily devotional time, but there is a danger in creating rules about such things. Rules can lead to the type of restrictive religion from which Warren is trying to free me!
The second way I can grow close to God is through continual meditation. This involves recalling verses of the Bible I have read or messages I have heard and thinking about them throughout the day. Simply beginning and ending my day with God is not enough. I need to think about Him continually!
Bible Passages
Warren quotes the Bible twenty three times using six translations and paraphrases. Generally the use of the Scriptures seemed solid.
Point to Ponder
Today’s point to ponder is “God wants to be my best friend.” Only God could conceive of such a thing. Only God could be all powerful and yet truly desire to have a relationship with his created beings. So many other religions are based around a God who would never deign to have a close, initmate relationship with humans. But God is different.
I have been thinking lately about Christianity and how much of my belief in God is based on how different Christianity is from other religions. I see so many evidences of this. For example, the Christian faith is based on grace whereas every other religion is based on works. Christianity is unique.
Up Next
Tomorrow’s topic is Developing Your Friendship With God
