Who Are You Friends With?

Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

During family devotionals with our kids, we often find ourselves in James because his words are so practical and straightforward. After reading the fourth chapter, we asked our kids, “What does it mean to be friends with the world?”

“It means putting yourself first, keeping all your things to yourself, and not caring who you hurt to get ahead,” my daughter Jasmine said. I nodded.

“And what does it mean to be a friend of God?” I followed up.

“It means that we don’t love the things the world loves,” she responded.

“And we care about other people. We don’t just think about ourselves but what could benefit others. We love people,” my son Abram added.

“Does being a friend of God mean we should avoid certain people?” I asked.

“No,” Jasmine said. “We’re supposed to love people. It’s how we treat people that matters to God.”

I smiled as I looked at my kids. They’re getting it. There are many parts of following Jesus that can seem complicated or complex, but the basic premise isn’t difficult to grasp. Love God. Love others. And a question we often ask in our house is: How does everything else in my life honor these two commands?

Do we respond in kindness, even when faced with unkindness? Do we show love to people others wouldn’t deem worthy? Do we put our own needs aside from time to time to meet someone else’s needs? Do we look not only to our interests but to those of others around us?

If we are going to be God’s friend, these are the questions we need to ask ourselves, a check of our hearts to make sure we’re following his ways. Because it’s too easy to fall into the trap of being a friend of the world, it’s often harder to assess how we’re doing and make changes when necessary. But I’m so thankful God’s friendship continues to extend to each one of us, even if we have to make adjustments.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Have your actions lately shown you to be a friend of God or a friend of this world? Take some time to assess yourself and adjust where needed.