ARE YOU A FRIEND OF GOD?

WITNESS 6-5-13 ARE YOU A FRIEND OF GOD Are you a friend of God Before you answer Let me tell you what James, the Apostle, And half-brother of Jesus once wrote, “You adulterous people Don’t you know that friendship Towards the world Is hatred towards God Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world Becomes an enemy of God” James 4:4 So What does it mean to be a friend of the world As opposed to God I believe It is simply Putting the love of money and materialism Over the love of God And the love of your neighbor Or putting our own selfish desires Of the flesh At the expense of God and family Or calling ALL miracles----“medical” or scientific miracles Or putting our own selfish addictions Over the love of God and family Let’s be clear Being a friend to God Isn’t the absence of money The absence of our sexuality Or the absence of medical miracles In our lives To be a friend to God Just means to keep our priorities In their proper place ALWAYS keeping God and family ABOVE everything else Proverbs 17: 17 tells us, “A friend loves at all times And a brother is born in adversity” So we know That God LOVES US at all times Even when we have turned our back on him He is just waiting for you Waiting for me To ask for another chance We KNOW That we will get another chance If we just SINCERELY ask Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask And it will be given to you Seek and you will find Knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks---receives He who seeks---finds And to him who knocks The door will be opened” And when we get our second chance We are to follow the commandments And LIVE by God’s own spirit “The fruit of the spirit is love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness, and self-control Against such things---there is no law” Galatians 5:22-23 My friends God is our BEST FRIEND We just have to: Keep our priorities straight Follow his commandments And do our best to live With the qualities of GOD’S OWN SPIRIT God is NOT looking for perfection Just our best effort IF we give it Count yourself AS A FRIEND OF GOD Robert P. Wallman 3-22-12 Ps WITNESS 6-5-13 “A FRIEND loves at ALL times-and a BROTHER is born for adversity” Proverbs 17:17 “Greater love has no man than this-that he lay down his life for his FRIENDS” John 15:13 MISC WITNESS 6-20-14 5-5-16