A FRIEND OF GOD.

written by Kes Hofmann

“Greater love has no one than this,
that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
JOHN 15:13

often i have heard the phrase “Jesus is my closest friend”,
which is astoundingly and undeniably true, however,
have we as a people ever asked to be His closest friend?

a friend who bears His burdens with Him.
a friend who partners with His heart.
a friend who knows Him deeply.

Jesus, our forerunner in all things,
exemplified perfect love and perfect friendship
when He laid His life down on the cross.
He invites us to do the same.

“And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
LUKE 9:23

to be a friend of Jesus,
means to lay our own lives down.
to deny ourselves and take up our own cross.
ever following the example of Jesus.

to live a life of radical love and affection for Him,
means to live a life of sacrificial devotion.

will we, as a people, love Jesus to the point of denying ourselves?
to truly lay aside all selfish ambition and self seeking within us? 

this is the call of the friends of God.

in the Garden of Gethsemane,
Jesus invited Peter, James, and John
to stay awake with Him in His greatest hour of trouble.

there was something about their presence there that brought comfort to Him.

there was something about them staying awake and praying with Him,
laying aside their own tiredness, and joining Him in His burden.

Jesus even told Peter,
“the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

we can’t be friends of God of our own effort.

but the Spirit within us, enables us to partner with His heart.
to share in His burden.

my prayer is that there would be a generation
not concerned with what they get from Jesus,
but completely consumed with what He is worthy of them giving Him.

He doesn’t need anything from us,
but He desires intimacy.
close friendship with us.

and that requires us to lay aside our own lives,
in a wholehearted pursuit of friendship with this beautiful Man.

would we echo Paul’s cry,

“i count everything as loss for the

surpassing worth of knowing Christ.”