Level Four

FRIEND/FRIEND RELATIONSHIP 

 

A servant’s relationship with his/her master rests on business and performance, while love and mutual concern from the basis of a friend’s relationship with a friend. Jesus spoke about this deeper level of intimacy that He shared with His disciples when He said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s (personal) business. Instead I call you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). Jesus is saying, “I value you not just because of how you serve me, but because you share my heart.” A friend’s value lies not so much in what he/she does, but in who he/she is as a personal confidant.

God wants to be our friend, and He wants us to be His friends. We can experience this friendship level of intimacy. As James 2:23 tells us, “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.” Also, Proverbs 22:11 says, “He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.”

Yet even as close as two friends can be, blood runs thicker than water.