Lesson for the Week

Friend Request

How many of you are on Facebook? I am… my sister and niece are… friends from high school… distant relatives… you know what I mean. I was a little nervous about being on there at first. To this day I only have one picture posted of myself and none of my daughter. I’m still a little squeamish about that. And though the unknown element of the World Wide Web still concerns me, there is one particular aspect of the site that I enjoy… “You have a friend request.” Isn’t that cool? Someone wants to be my friend! I even got to add a new friend from Sweden the other day. For those of us who grew up during the Apple II e generation, this still seems like pretty major stuff!

Those two little words, “friend request”, got me thinking earlier today. Did you know that even if we were not on Facebook, we would still get friend requests every day? Consider John 15:14-15… “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (NIV) Ok, you’ve read it… now read it again. Make sure you understand it. Make it clear in your mind. God calls us FRIENDS!! He wants us to be friends with Him so that He can share all that He is with us. God… the Alpha and Omega… the beginning and the end… the creator of all things… the ruler of all… the Great Physician… the Prince of Peace… the Great “I Am”… should I go on? He wants us to know His joy, His peace, His wisdom, His grace, His mercy, and above all, His love. WOW! I don’t know about you, but for me that is a pretty humbling thought. The song, I am a Friend of God, by Israel Houghton, sums up the feeling that surrounds God’s “friend request”. I have enclosed the link to an IWorship video of the song for you to hear. Please read the lyrics and listen to the song. You will be blessed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTL1W9exn4w&feature=related

Who am I that you are mindful of me
That you hear me, when I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me, it's amazing
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend
God Almighty
Lord of Glory
You have called me friend