Friendship With God

Do you long to be a friend of God? Do you long for an intimate communion with Him that you do not even share with a spouse, child, or best friend. We need that kind of devotion to God. Keith Green once taught a message about being devoted or just doing devotions. I have had enough of devotions. I want to meet with God. I want to enjoy Him as I tarry in His presence. I want to hear Him give counsel and directions. I want to yearn for Him more. I want to yearn to yearn for Him more. I want to be a friend of God. 

How many times do we prefer the company of men over the company of God? How often do we gather in the fellowship of other people to discuss God while shunning the fellowship of God Himself. How often do we rush through a devotion so as to check it off our list and hurry on to other important matters. What is more important than cultivating friendship with God?

O brother and sister, is your heart burning with new zeal and love for God? We have zeal for food, sports, family, making money, accumulating stuff, business, and for some even the church. Do we have zeal to know God and to walk deeply with Him? Do we have zeal for friendship with the Almighty?

American church we are missing it. We are convinced our latest technology and time saving methods can short cut our way to success ministry. What may look like success on the outside just might be offensive to God for He does not look on the outward appearance of things but looks at the heart. The hearts in many churches are distant, hard, and self-centered. How many walk in friendship with God daily sitting in the pews on Sunday. Research says the average Christian prays between 3-7 minutes a day. 3-7 minutes! We give more time than that to television, facebook, pinterest, texting, instagram, twitter, email, and surfing the web. Surely God is worth more than 3-7 minutes. The results are evident. Cool hearts, subdued passion, and in some cases total neglect toward the things of God.

God wants hearts that love Him supremely. [Matt 22:37] God wants hearts that are bent in the relentless pursuit of knowing Him. {Ps 42:1-2] [Ps 63:1-2] May we give our energy, our time, and our souls to the passionate pursuit of friendship with God. It will not happen without time spent alone in His presence. It will not happen apart from the breaking of our hearts of the lesser pursuits that distract us.

May we not be so easily amused with the lesser blessings on planet earth. We were created to commune with God. May we expend our days living out that destiny. May we give ourselves wholly to prayer, scripture meditation and study, and private worship. How I pray friendship with God would become an inward reality for all of us.