7.19.11 "I am a Friend of God"

"I am a Friend of God"

I Chronicles 28:1-29:30
Romans 5:6-21
Psalm 15:1-5
Proverbs 19:18-19

Have you met anyone famous? Any "heroes" of yours that you've met? Due to the marvels of facebook, I can now say I'm "friends" with some of my heroes. I've even sustained some conversations with some people that I think to be GREAT people. Occasionally I'll name drop a couple... well, just for the sake of example... Gretchen Carlson on the FOX news morning show has MY autograph... yep... not the other way around... I scored the music for a pageant she was in in the 80's... she loved it & wanted my autograph... there... I name dropped.. now I'm important right?

Why do we name drop? It almost gives us a feeling of worth, or it makes us feel that "now people should respect me." Check out these verses in Romans:

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.... So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." Romans 5:6-8,11

As believers we sometimes take the wrong approach to being a friend of God. We can get the sense of "NOW I'm somebody!" A subtle arrogance can develop. Almost as if we "deserve" to be a friend of God.

That couldn't be further from the truth. Christ died for us while we were sinners... we "deserved" none of it. Yet He did it.

Why is this important? If we walk in arrogance of knowing God, we are much like the Pharisees who were proud of their standing and looked in disdain at others who didn't measure up. To realize in humility that we walk in a gift that is undeserved, our outlook is much different. We begin to see those who need Christ through the eyes of hope. We see that They too have this wonderful gift being offered to them. This motivation moves our perspective from a seat of judgment to a kneeling position of washing feet and touching lives.

Oh, that others would know this friendship. Not so the list of "Friends of God" on Facebook can reach 1000, but so that each can know the value that Christ placed in every one of us.

How beautiful it is... I am a friend of God.

Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

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