Only one condition for Friendship with God

Uni-verse 141/10,000 For Better through verse James 2 v 23
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Believing in God is equated with righteousness. It is not actions or our good deeds that can save any man but faith in God redeems a man. If our actions can save us, then we would only believe in our own goodness. Abraham trusted God as a man would trust his friend. Hence, he was called the Friend of God. Moses spoke with God face to face as a man speaks with His friend. Similarly, God calls us into an intimate and personal relationship with Him through faith. On 31st July, 1979, a friend asked me," Do you want to have a personal relationship with God?" That began my own friendship or relationship with God.

Jesus came into the world not to start a new religion but His life, death and resurrection enables people from all nations who believe to become Friends of God. He did the greatest thing a man can do for his friend by laying down His life. Jesus said, " If you obey my commandments, you are my friends." His commandments that more than fulfill all the requirements of the Ten Commandments are to love God as our best friend, to love our neighbour, our friends as well as strangers and enemies and to share the great news of salvation to all who come within our circle of influence and even beyond to the ends of the earth. Since we are His friends, He has shared all the secrets of the Kingdom of God with us. Between the best of friends there is complete mutual disclosure of thoughts, feelings, desires and anxieties.

Our friendship with God through His son Jesus who is one of our kind and therefore can truly be our friend is the source of our security, the secret of our growth, success and fulfillment. The other day on the occasion of the second rising day of the National Security Guard unit in Chennai, I was happy to see the unit commander, a believer and a Friend of God use a slide in the course of his powerpoint presentation: "The greatest thing a man can do for his friend is to lay down his life for him." Truly,when you are a Friend of God, you and your family will be blessed as Abraham was blessed. When you are a Friend of God, you will communicate with God as Moses communed. When you are a Friend of God, you willl lay down your life as a living sacrifice as Jesus did.

Prateep V Philip