A Believer’s Best Friend

A believer’s best friend is Jesus. There is no friend you have on earth greater than Jesus, but how can you know if you are His friend? Jesus calls all who believe in Him and obey Him His friends. Because God created you for relationships, He first placed you in a family and then added friends. So, take a moment to think about your best friend. What do you most appreciate about them?

A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

First, your friend is probably loyal and loves you, warts and all. But they also love you enough to correct you with the truth when it is in your best interest to do so. Second, your best friend is trustworthy, so you safely confide in them the things you would never tell anyone else. Third, you will never be alone with a problem. The reason is that you know that your best friend will step in to help when you are in need.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  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. John 15:13-15

Everything that you appreciate about your earthly friend is also true of Jesus. However, His friendship surpasses any relationship you will ever have on earth because His love for you is perfect and endures forever. Only Jesus promises never to leave or forsake you, and He alone has the divine power to work in every circumstance for your good. Therefore, there is no friend on earth greater than Jesus.

Jesus Is a Believer’s Best Friend

Jesus is your very best friend because He sticks closer to you than any brother or sister could. And unlike earthly friends, He is available day and night to hear your prayers. So then, confide in Jesus and tell Him all your concerns because this is what best friends do.

Jesus displayed the most incredible love you will ever know by dying on the cross for your sins. And remarkably, while you were still His enemy, Jesus took the punishment you deserved for your sins and paid sin’s penalty with His life. Finally, you became His friend when you received Christ’s sacrifice for yourself. As a result, you love Him and want to please Him with your life. What a friend you have in Jesus!

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8

Take a moment to ponder Jesus’s amazing love. When you were against Him, Jesus willingly died for your sins. And when you receive Him as your Lord and Savior, an eternal friendship with Him begins. What, then, is your response? If you have never repented of your sins and trusted Jesus, talk to Him now.

Jesus invites you: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus “was initially written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven, who experienced tragedy in his own life.  However, it is said that he wrote this as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother.

♫♪ What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!  O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer! ♫♪

 ♫♪Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. ♫♪

♫♪Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?  Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms, He’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.  ♫♪

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Our natural inclination is to pour out our troubles and concerns to our human friends, but they are limited to how long they can listen and how often they can physically be there. So instead, come to Jesus, your very best friend, first, and then experience His perfect peace and rest.

Moses Was a Friend of God

In the Bible, God refers to Moses, Abraham, and Lazarus as His friends, so let’s look at each relationship.

In the Old Testament, Moses was the first person that God specifically called his friend. Moses talked with God daily and relied on Him for wisdom and direction to lead God’s people. In addition, Moses is an excellent example of someone who did not make plans without consulting God first.

As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Exodus 33:9, 11

What an intimate picture these verses paint of Almighty God speaking personally with a man named Moses. And God never changes, so He still desires a close, personal relationship with those He created. Today, we speak to God in prayer, and He speaks to us from His Word. So then, draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them. Psalm 25:14

Best friends have a special bond because they confide in one another. What an astonishing promise that the God of the universe wants to reveal His thoughts to you personally. And He wants to give you an understanding of your relationship with Him. Therefore, set aside time daily to talk with God and hear Him speak to you from His Word.

God spoke to His Friend, Moses

God personally revealed himself to Moses by proclaiming His character.

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Him and proclaimed His name, the Lord. And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished… Exodus 34:5-7

Friendships take time, and fellowship with God is no different. Friends know each other because they spend time talking and listening to one another. In the same way, God graciously took time to reveal Himself to Moses so he could know Him as Lord.

Unfortunately, too many do not personally know God because they do not read and study His Word. How about you?  Do you know things about God because you heard them from others? Or do you know who He is from the revelation He gave of Himself in the Bible? Indeed, to remain in fellowship with God, it is essential to know Him from His Word.  

Moses said to the Lord, if you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you… Exodus 33:13

If you do not know what pleases God, you do not yet know Him. So, to reverse this, seek Jesus by faith, learn from His Word, and rely on His Spirit to obey what He teaches you. And going forward, make knowing God the pursuit of your lifetime.

Jesus said, if you love me, you will obey what I command. John 14:15

Abraham Was God’s Friend

And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. James 2:23

Because of his faith, Abraham became a friend of God and the father of all who believe. So, whenever you doubt, ask Him to help your unbelief because Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. Therefore, God’s friends believe His Word because they have learned to trust Him.

Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:20-22

Abraham did not waver by doubting; instead, he experienced God’s strengthening grace and gave God all the glory. And because Abraham knew God, he confidently believed that God had the power to do what He promised. Likewise, God’s Word tells us that we, too, are credited with righteousness when we believe in Jesus, whom God raised from the dead.

Long after Abraham was gone, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the people faced disaster. His public prayer to God reminded the people of God’s power and His covenant relationship with them through His friend Abraham.

“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 2 Chronicles 20:6-7

Jesus Loved His Friend, Lazarus

Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, and He often spent time with them in their home. And Jesus considered them His friends.

So, the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  Jesus said to his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up!” John 11:3, 5, 11

Jesus planned that the death of Lazarus would glorify God, so He waited before coming to Mary and Martha’s home. So, by the time Jesus came, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Upon arriving, Jesus first tested Martha’s faith in Him by telling her that her brother would rise from the grave. Then, He asked her if she believed that He was the resurrection and the life. And she said, “Yes,” she believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.

After Martha declared her faith in Jesus, she and others saw His divine power when He raised his friend Lazarus from the dead! Because of this miracle, many believed in Jesus as God’s promised Messiah.

Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40

Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again to be your Lord and Savior? Then have you received Him? If not, see “How to be Born Again.” Jesus promises that all who believe in Him will live forever with Him, even after physical death.

A Friend of Jesus is a Friend of God

No relationship on earth will ever compare with having the Lord Jesus as your best friend because He who created you knows you best. And a friend of Jesus is a friend of God for eternity. So, what is God like? Jesus left His glory in heaven to show us that He and the Father are one.

Jesus said, “I and the Father are one. “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 10:30; John 14:9

To be genuinely happy on earth is to have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Best of all, He calls those who believe in Him and obey Him His friends. Thus, may grace, peace, and love be yours in abundance as you enjoy sweet fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

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Bible study for “Jesus Is A Believer’s Best Friend”

Week 1:  Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 33:7-23; 34:4-11; Numbers 12:1-8; Deuteronomy 29:29; 34:5-7, 10-12; 2 Chronicles 20:5-7; Psalms 23:1-6; 25:4-5, 8-14; 73:23-26; 86:5-7, 11-13, 15; 139:1-6, 13-18; 143:8-10; 145:8-21; Proverbs 3:5-7; 8:13, 17, 32-35

Week 2: Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:6, 17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Isaiah 40:28-31; Jeremiah 9:23-24; 33:2-3; Matthew 4:4; 11:27-30; 12:48-50; 13:10-13; 16:13-17; Mark 9:23-24; 12:24, 29-31; John 1:1-5, 10-14, 18; 3:1-18; 10:14-18, 24-30

Week 3:  John 11:1-44; 14:6-27; 15:9-17; 16:12-15, 23-28; 17:6-11, 20-26; Romans 4:3-8, 16-25; 5:1-11; 8:5-17, 28-39; 10:8-13; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 8:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, 21-22; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18; 4:16-18, 25

Week 4:  2 Corinthians 5:1-11; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:8-10; Philippians 2:3-11; Colossians 1:9-20, 26-27; 2:2-3, 9-10; Hebrews 1:1-4; 4:12-16; 11:6; 12:2; James 2:23-24, 26; 1 Peter 5:6-7, 14; 2:1-3; 2 Peter 1:2-11; 1 John 1:1-4; 2:17; 3:1-3; 4:7-21