Best Friend

Is God our Best Friend?
Is He?
If He is, what does that mean to us?
How do we handle our relationship with Him?

I have been very blessed to have spent almost two months now in Florida with my best friend. We have lived thousands of miles from one another almost since we met. Our paths first crossed in Germany before she moved back to Florida. Then when our family moved back to the states, we headed back to our home state of California.

Two lives, perhaps destined to always be separated by many miles--but despite that, it was to be a relationship that was able to endure the distance, no matter how great.

Some would say it couldn't be done. Some would argue if it was even worth it? It would take so much work, such time, such thought, and even a significant amount of hard-earned money in plane fares and other modes of transportation to keep it going.
Why even try?
Because it is worth it!
It is worth the joy that it brings, the laughter that is shared, the compassion that is shown, the support that is given, and the love that is felt. It is worth the work that is put into it because the "pay-off" is so much greater than the effort put out.

Could we say that about our relationship with God? Some would argue that the distance is too great, it takes too much work, such time, such thought, and sometimes even a part of our hard-earned money. Some would argue that life is too busy, it moves too fast, and it's just not possible in this day and age to invest that much in a relationship with our Creator.

Who loses out in this decision?
Does God? Well, I believe He is very disappointed when we won't even give it a try. When we won't take that time to be with Him when He is so available for us.
Do We? There almost needs to be no answer given here if you have ever spent a moment of time with our Lord. The reward is always greater than the effort given.

Acts 17:25b
He himself gives life and breath to everything,
and he satisfies every need there is.

God is so satisfying. When we spend time with Him, we are filled to overflowing. As I spent my quiet time this morning, I thought about my relationship with Him and I also thought about my relationship with my best friend. I thought of how I love the times my friend and I are together no matter what we are doing. It is not in the doing, but in the being that is most important. As my friend said the other day when a luncheon was being decided on with another person, "It's not about the food." We had a good laugh about that because it certainly was not about the food. Not that we don't enjoy a good meal with some great chips and salsa being right up there at the top, but it's really not about the food-it's about the time being spent with another person.

It's the same and even better with God. He should be our very Best Friend. We should long to spend time with Him. We should miss Him when a day goes by and we have not sat with Him for a good chat. We don't have to dial Him up on our cell-phone to connect with Him, we don't have to be concerned about the amount of minutes we are using to share the latest news--He is available and He is free and He is waiting to hear from us!

Can I share with you about a dream that I had that to me seemed a vision of heaven-at least what I would consider "heaven." There was this very large mansion, so large that the ends curved around and seemed to go out of sight from the enormous proportions of this mansion. Inside the mansion were thousands of people in every room. It was a large party with tables and food being served and talk going on everywhere. I sat across the table from a woman with dark hair, and I started to think we needed to end our conversation because there were so many people to get to yet, to talk to, and there would never be enough time-but then I knew, there would be enough time. There was no time here--we had all of eternity and I could sit and talk with this person for weeks if I wanted to, and then someone else, and then someone else, until I had spent time with everyone in this large mansion. Could this be a bit of what heaven will be like? Maybe for the guys it would be weeks of hitting golf balls or something. No time to consider at all. Eternity to do what we enjoy the most, including worshiping God.

Can we start here and now? Can we get a bit of heaven on earth by realizing that time is precious and it is what God wants from us the most? It is not about the work we do but about the time we spend with Him?

Since he is Lord of heaven and earth,
he doesn't live in man-made temples,
and human hands can't serve his needs-
for he has no needs.
Acts 17:24-25

God really doesn't need all the work we do for Him. He could do it all and much faster and much better than anything we could ever accomplish. He doesn't need us to write books, raise money, feed the poor, volunteer at the church, or even preach a sermon. If God wants something done, He could do it without us. He chooses to use us to further His Kingdom, to do His Kingdom work, to help Him in all these areas and He is pleased when we serve Him in these ways and many others, but He really could do it all without our help.

I believe what pleases God the most is our time with Him. The times when we look to Him as our Best Friend, and there is nothing we want more than to sit with Him for awhile-and maybe not even to say a word, but to listen. Friends are friends because they listen to each other as well as talk with one another. They care about the thoughts of one another and love sharing what is on their hearts. Is our friendship with God any different than that? And yet, we ignore Him so much of the time.

My being here in Florida is challenging for my friend. She has a very busy life, and having me in town complicates things a bit, especially during the Christmas Season. There are parties to attend, shopping to be done, gifts to be wrapped, homes to be decorated, plus all the regular daily chores and family concerns to be attended to. One more thing on her list of things to do is not really "helpful," but because we have established a meaningful relationship, there is no way in the world she would ever say, "I don't have time for you right now." There is no way she would not make an effort to include me in her day, meet with me at night, have coffee with me in the morning. There is no way she would put me off until everything else was taken care of because our relationship would wither and die from lack of attention in a very short time. Friends can only remain friends when both are willing to work at it, no matter what it takes.

Is our relationship with God any different than that? But we are so neglectful of it so much of the time. Everything else comes before Him--God can wait. Everything else seems more important and before we know it, we don't know God so well anymore. We can't seem to make a connection with Him the way we used to, and we are so tired and worn out and feeling so alone.

In Acts 3:20, it says, "Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord--." Don't we all need times of refreshment, especially during the Christmas Season when there is so much to do? It seems the joy of Christmas starts to dwindle away with long shopping lists and food to prepare and decorations to arrange and parties to attend. By the time Christmas arrives we are pooped and ready to call it quits. Is this what God had in mind at Christmas or any time of the year? It doesn't take Christmas to get stressed out--everyday life will do that to us. God certainly knew that and knew that we would need times of refreshment because He offers it to us-but how many times do we really take Him up on His offer?

I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
No wonder my heart is filled with joy,
And my mouth shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
Acts 2:25-26

God does not live thousands of miles away from us, He is always with us. Do we appreciate how available He is?

Being here with my friend, I appreciate this time. I appreciate that we temporarily live just a few miles apart and we can see each other every day if we choose to. Because of the distance that usually separates us, we don't take this time for granted. With a good friend, a visit once a month, maybe every few months would be just fine, but not with a best friend! There is just too much to be shared about each and every day to not connect with one another and talk it over! It is a time of "refreshment."

If God is really our Best Friend, how can we treat our relationship with Him any differently? How can we not want to be with Him each day? To be "refreshed" by Him? If we don't, is He really our Best Friend or just a good friend? I think we need to be honest with ourselves. If we are not missing Him after being apart for a while, if He is not on our minds throughout the day, if we are not "dialing" Him up throughout our day and talking things over with Him or listening to what He might want to share with us, how close are we with Him? When we get to heaven, will He say, "I never knew you?"

If my best friend never called me, never wrote to me, never visited with me, how long would our friendship last? How long would it take for it to fade into something of lesser importance? How well would we know one another when we did meet again? We could possibly be good friends when we saw one another again, but not best friends. Best friends need time together.

Do you know what kind of friend God is really? He is the kind of friend that you may not have seen for years, may not have had any contact with for decades, and still you can take up with Him right where you left off. There are those kinds of friend, you know. The minute you see them, it is as if no time has passed. The conversation is easy and relaxed. The excitement in being together has never changed. They are very good friends and you will always be friends no matter how much time has passed. God is that kind of friend, but He is also so much more and He wants more in our relationship with Him. He knows us so well, but He wants us to know Him too. He doesn't want us to know of Him or about Him as much as He wants us to be in a relationship with Him. He wants to be our very Best Friend always.

He will keep you strong right up to the end,
and he will keep you free from all blame on
the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ
returns. God will surely do this for you,
for he always does just what he says, and
he is the one who invited you into this wonderful
friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:8-9

A friendship with Jesus is a "wonderful friendship" but you may say, "My friends have hurt me." Who has never been betrayed, wounded, and taught an important lesson on "trust" when it comes to a friend? It is part of life, and sometimes it is not the most pleasant part. Friends can be brutal and they can shape our lives in ways that are not always so wonderful! But God is different! His Son Jesus Christ is different! The Holy Spirit is different! They are true and there is no betrayal in them.

Does life hurt at times?
Yes!
Does God allow it?
Yes!

But it is different because what God allows is not meant to harm us, but to give us hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11) Sometimes that is hard to believe, but when we develop a deep relationship with our Best Friend, we can believe it! We learn that we can trust Him in all things, and what's best of all, we can tell Him absolutely everything!! No holding back! We can be brutally honest with Him because He already knows anyway! He listens without interruption, without condemnation and with complete understanding-and He won't tell anyone! Try it! It is so freeing! He really won't strike you with a bolt of lightening when you tell Him what lies deep in your heart that you've never told anyone before! He loves you anyway and if you need help, He will help you!

Nothing in all creation can hide from him.
Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes.
Hebrews 4:13

...Soon it will be time to leave here--to drive away from Florida and my best friend. We will have to say good-bye once again and work at keeping our friendship alive while we are apart. There will be no daily visits, no more morning coffee times, and no dinners together with our husbands. The distance will put a stop to a cherished time together.

When he had finished speaking, he knelt and
prayed with them. They wept aloud as they
embraced him in farewell, sad most of all
because he had said that they would never see
him again. They accompanied him down to the ship.
Acts 20:36-38

Paul was leaving, moving on in his journey in the Book of Acts. He had to leave those behind that he had grown close to in his ministry and follow where God was leading him next. The Holy Spirit had told him jail and suffering where ahead for him, but he knew he had to go. He said, "But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love." (Acts 20:24)

It was not easy for him to leave and it was not easy for those that had to tell him good-bye, but it was time. His Best Friend was calling him onward. In this life, there are times when we must leave our friends behind either with moving or traveling or sometimes even in death. As I sat with a new friend the other day and she shared with me how her best friend had died many, many years ago, she also shared with me how that had shaped her life and led her to the Lord. A friend, especially a best friend, can have a powerful impact on our lives.

When our Best Friend is Jesus Christ, it can have the most powerful impact ever. It can change our every day and bring us joy unspeakable. He is available any time, day or night and He is the best listener we will ever find. He is the most forgiving, the most understanding and the most encouraging Friend we will ever know.
The thing is...do we know Him?
Really know Him?

Take some time today and introduce yourself if you have never sat with Him before-or if it has been awhile, take some time to get reacquainted. The Best Friend you could ever want is within reach, if you will only spend some time with Him.

It's the most wonderful gift you can give yourself this Christmas!!
Best friends don't come along very often--Jesus was born so you would never have to be without One!

Living in His peace and joy,

Diane