Becoming God's Friend: Understanding Your Growth from Servant to Friend

What matters is that Abraham is not prepared to walk with God into the Promised Land until he is ready to complete God’s call to leave country and father. Either God cannot show Abraham the Promised Land, or Abraham is not ready to see that land, until his father is gone. There is no way around the fact that Abraham’s faith needed to grow further b

Stewards are trusted servants. They are servants with an opportunity to advance and grow. The successful stewards in the "Parable of the Talents" are told, "You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much" (Matthew 25:21, 23). Their faithful service granted to them more responsibility and more reward. In that sense,

There was nothing that ever drove us apart. Our paths simply diverged. We stopped walking down the same road. He took one fork. Julie and I took another. We still hold Jimmy as a friend and I am confident he does the same for us, but the relationship has not grown in years. Our choices led us in different walks of life. When our paths diverged, our

Your heart is simply longing to live like God.

There is a greater blessing in giving than receiving (Acts 20:35). Giving helps the recipient, but it transforms the giver. God always gives. To have that same nature which seeks to supply the needs of others is the transformation we are seeking in order to become God’s friend.

Abraham lived before God and demonstrated the power of a man's faith. He showed God that a man's faith is something that can be trusted and that will not be spoiled if God draws near to bless it.

God is trying to move us toward the ideal of giving. He does not want us to see the blessings in our lives as an end. We need to see them as a means. God gives to us for the sole reason so we can give to others. When we respond in harmony with that intention, not out of duty or obligation, but out of instinct then our souls have become like His and

it is safe for God to give his all to Abraham. Because Abraham has grown to live and love and think like God, God's gifts will not spoil Abraham. A father cannot give an immature son his inheritance.

In finding yourself in the three biblical images we discussed in this chapter the issue is not whether or not you are a servant, steward or son. You are all of those before Him. The issue is which imagery dominates your daily life and is the motivation of your faith.

Still, we want more. We long for Him to show us what to order off of the menu of His blessings. Our hearts want specifics. We want to know where to live and to work and who to love and so on. People look under every rock for a hint from God. God is standing back saying, "I trust you not to waste this life. Go live it in any godly way you wish.