Good morning and happy Thursday. Did you know that Thursday got it’s name from Thor? Yep, like the Norse god of thunder and just like the Avenger superhero with the big hammer. The base of the word is “Thor’s Day” and it settled into Thursday. Speaking of Thor, a friend and I went to see the new Avenger’s movie, “End Game.” It’s the big finale to all the Avengers movies and ties up a 10 year span of movies dedicated to telling the whole story. It was a really good movie but really long. Like over 3 hours long. I mean that’s Gone with the Wind long. Also, did you see the money this movie is making? It shattered all opening weekend records, raking in an astonishing 357 million bucks in 4 days. So far it has amassed a total haul of 777 million. That’s ¾ of a BILLION dollars. Wow…that’s a lot of scratch. We should all start making superhero movies, huh?
Well, I’m in a little bit of a transition period here as I’m done with the New Testament as of Tuesday and planning to start the Old Testament book of Genesis on Monday. It’s quite the period of reflection for me currently and I am enjoying the recollection and memories of the last year. Tomorrow I will preface how our study will go throughout the OT and so today I’ve got carte blanche. A rare free day to surf around on what God has put on my heart.
Last weekend at camp I got up early before the students arrived and went into the meeting room to have some quiet time with God. Specifically, to have some time with God in His Word and to pray over the room. I opened my Bible to one of my favorite books, James and started to read. As I got halfway through chapter 2, I paused. I hit a section that I had never paused at before, it spoke to me. That’s what’s so awesome about the power of God’s Word, you can read it a thousand times and glean wisdom out of it every time. This time it was James speaking about faith and works…and Abraham.
James 2:21-23 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”
You all probably remember the amazing, heart-wrenching story of Abraham and his son Isaac. (if not go read it in Genesis 22:1-19) I went through this lesson not too long ago and it is one I could experience 100 times over. It is a powerful story of what it means to surrender in total obedience to God. A lesson we in fact need to learn over and over throughout our journey to become more like Christ. But this time, in James there was one part that leaped off the page at me.
“He was called a friend of God.”
He was called a friend of God. I got goosebumps reading it that morning and I get goosebumps reading it right now. To be called a friend of God. I cannot think of any other thing that I would strive to be called in this life. It started me thinking on what it really means to be a “friend of God.” Let’s look at a few key ingredients in the life of Abraham and what I believe it requires to become a friend of God.
1) Absolute surrender to God’s plan. The key word here is absolute. Surrender is defined as to “cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.” To cease resistance, to give up, to submit to the authority of God. Do you struggle with God? I do. Mostly it’s completely unintentional. I just have a set way I think things should go and when they don’t go that way, I struggle with the results. I always say that I have an expectation problem. My expectations somehow become reality to me and when my new reality is not met, I experience disappointment and then get frustrated. Now this disappointment is completely unwarranted because it was never founded on anything but my own selfish and limited expectations. But this vicious cycle somehow happens in my subconscious, mostly without me even knowing it. So, for me surrender is a tough thing. I think it is for all of us. It goes against our grain, it’s part of the sin nature that is built into us as soon as we take our first breath. Abraham was in such a complete stage of surrender to the Lord he was willing to sacrifice the life of his only Son at the simple behest of God. Folks, Abraham had a different level of surrender and because of that he was called a friend of God.
2) Obedience to God’s call. Has God ever asked you to do something you didn’t agree with? Did you do it? Out of surrender is birthed obedience. As you willingly give up your control, you have little left but to be obedient to a new master. Recall that part of the definition of surrender was to “submit to their authority.” Surrender and submit. Two words that we all need more of when it comes to dealing with God.
Our obedience seems to expire when God’s request ceases to make sense to us. If God asks us to do something that seems crazy, we think that our obedience ends at that point. Not so. God has a view of our lives that we are not afforded. My small group pastor says God has a 35,000 foot view of our lives. I like that. God is in an airplane above looking down and can see it all. Us, our lives, our problems, our concerns, our surroundings, our needs, all of it. God sees a path that will be best for us and He asks us to walk it. But will we? If we are walking down the dark, scary part of the yellow brick road will we keep walking? Or will we turn back or make our own path right before we get to the gleaming Emerald City? Hindsight in my own life, sometimes I have been mere feet from the fruition of God’s will and because of either fear or doubt, turned back or veered from the path. You see obedience is a by product of faith. Do you believe in God enough to be truly obedient? Do you truly believe? Abraham believed to the point that he raised the knife and had Isaac in His sights. But God provided. The ram was only yards away and God revealed it in His time. Abraham’s faith fueled an amazing level of obedience to God and as a result he was called a friend of God.
3) Availability. You may have surrendered to God, you may be obedient to God, but are you available to God? What? Isn’t it all the same? Let me tell you a story. Last year I bought a new pair of noise cancelling headphones to take to China. I was sitting in the living room trying them out and it was amazing. This cool technology drowned out all the background noise and it made the music seem eerily 3D somehow. (I love smart people because they invent cool things like these awesome headphones!) As I was rocking out, Margie walked by to tell me something. I took them off, we spoke and then she moved on to something else and I put my headphones back on. I noticed that the next time she walked by she looked over at me, paused and then walked on without speaking. She did this another time and it struck me. She knows that I can’t hear her, she knows that I am not listening so what’s the point in her even talking to me? Folks, God is no different. Do you have the headphones of life on? Are you tied up in your own world of work, family, school, sports, social life and making money so much that God sees you and just keeps on walking by? If God sees your headphones on and knows that you can’t hear Him, He will not speak. Why would He? Margie wouldn’t speak to me because she knew I wasn’t listening. We need to be oh, so careful that this is not our appearance to God. Being available to God is being ready to hear His voice. It’s not a question of whether or not God is speaking, it’s a question of whether or not we are listening. Abraham was surrendered, he was obedient, and he was actively listening for God’s voice. And when he heard it, he was available. And he went. Immediately.
“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. (Gen 22:1-3)
Oh, to be called a friend of God. In one of the few instances in God’s Word, a man is called a friend of God. I long to be called a friend of God. Surrender to God’s plan for your life, be obedient to His call and be available for Him to use you for His glory. Three key ingredients we see from Abraham and three key ingredients that should be the foundation of our walk with Christ.
And he was called a friend of God.
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