The King's Friend

"And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" - and he was called a friend of God." - James 2:23

Imagine going to work and running into a new colleague in the hallway.  After introducing yourself and welcoming them to the team, you tell him or her that you work in the Accounting department.  "What do you do?" you ask. "I'm the CEO's Friend," comes the response.  Not surprised at the startled look on your face, he or she shows you a business card, and sure enough, it reads, "Friend of the CEO"!

Sound strange? Maybe so, but it's also a job held by Hushai the Arkite in David's list of the king's overseers. It took me by surprise when reading a passage from 1 Chronicles 27, which I'll paraphrase here:

Azmaveth was in charge of the royal storehouses.

Jonathan was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts.

Ezri was in charge of the workers who farmed the land.

Shimei was in charge of the vineyards.

Zabdi was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

Baal-Hanan was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills.

Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.

Shitrai was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon.

Shaphat was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

Obil was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah was in charge of the donkeys.

Jaziz was in charge of the flocks.

Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe.

Jehiel took care of the king's sons.

Ahithophel was the king's counselor.

Hushai the Arkite was the king's friend.

Joab was the commander of the royal army.

Wait, back up one line.  We see a lot of jobs that make sense, but then we see that Hushai the Arkite was the king's friend? What does that job entail? I want that job!

Well, I have good news! That's the job the King of Kings wants to give to you!

I would imagine being a leader of a large population has its challenges.  People are coming to you constantly for advice, a decision, an emergency that's come up.  With all the stresses of the job, it must be nice to have a confidant, a friend that knows you better than anyone else, who just wants to hang out and keep you grounded in who you are at the core.

Amazingly, God's design for us includes a relationship in which He calls us friends.  He did this through His Son Jesus, who revealed the heart of the Father to the world, and therefore trusts us enough to call us friends, if we only believe and trust in Him.  In John 15:15, Jesus says, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

I have encountered some people who view God as a stern, distant Creator,  one that is to be feared rather than befriended.  Or there are some who say they are not so "vain" as to think that God would speak to them directly.  But you can't help but draw a different conclusion when you read the Bible and find the Truth.  While God is to be revered and respected as our Father and Creator, He also desires to be our Friend, one that we can have a real, personal, and individual relationship with.

And while we are also children of God, I remember a co-worker telling me that every stage of her children's development was better than the last.  Now that her kids are grown, she likes this stage the best, because now her children are also her friends.  God wants the same relationship with you, but it takes growing in maturity and closeness with Him.  Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, God can live inside you and guide you into a deeper relationship with Him, where He can call you not only a son or daughter, but also a friend.  And that's also who He wants by His side for all eternity!

Through God's amazing grace, we all have the opportunity to tell the world that we have the best job title ever - the King's Friend!

-Adam Gellert

adamgellert.com

Do You Really Trust God?

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." 

- James 1:5-8

Despite everything I've experienced, all that I've committed to in my walk with the Lord, and all the actions I've take to demonstrate my love for the Trinity, I've come to a startling revelation - I don't trust God.

How can I be at this point? How can I experience the dreams, miracles, and revelations of God and still doubt that He is good? That He has a plan for all of humanity, and each of us individually, that if left in His hands will be made perfect for all eternity?

I doubt because I refuse to see reality through God's eyes.  I allow my humanity, with all its imperfection and flawed perspective, to decide what is good or not good in my present situation.  I see an all-knowing God and can't understand why He is allowing me to get laid off from work, lose my children, the natural disaster to wipe out my city, or not answer my earnest prayer for a miracle in a dire situation.

The foundation of faith is a combination of trust and obedience, which go hand in hand.  I can't obey God's instruction and walk in His will if I don't trust Him during ALL circumstances, because I will make a different decision that makes more sense or feels more comfortable to my "rational" mind.  This is why James, in the first chapter of his book in the Bible, says that doubt causes us to be double-minded, tossed about in the waves of life as we sometimes make good decisions that work out, while other times we fall back into worry and despair when something goes wrong.

That's what has made me come to realize that I don't entirely trust God. When I have a good day or something goes well, I'm in love with God and thank Him for answering my prayers and giving me favor.  When something then goes wrong or not the way I expected, I blame God in His omnipotence for "punishing" me or not being good. And so we ride a roller coaster life of ups and downs, looking forward to the relief of an eternity where everything will be a smooth ride of perfection, instead of rejoicing in the peace, freedom and redemption Jesus won for us today.

Before you tell God you love Him, that you've accepted his Son Jesus as your Savior, and want His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort  you on life's journey, are you really ready to trust Him? If you say you love your spouse but don't trust him or her, can you really love them? Can you really be fully committed to that relationship?

Francis Chan has a message that I'll share here, that challenges us with that same thinking.  If we are worrying all the time about our lives, our children, our future,or our finances, do we really trust God? Do our children sit around worrying that we'll provide for them, that we'll do all we can to protect them, and that we are always looking out for their good, even when we have to correct them?

So what's the answer? How can we fully trust God? Like James says, we have to ask God.  We have to commit to dying to self, the humanity in us that wants control.  And when we ask God to take over our lives, we have to make the decision to trust Him completely, in good times and bad.  God knows we will have doubts - Jesus was constantly confronted by His disciples' lack of faith despite all they experienced. But He also died for each one of us, so we could be free to live in eternity with Him, and so that we could have the Holy Spirit dwell within us to transform and shape us into trusting, obedient sons and daughters.

If you can't say you trust God today, repent and ask God to give you the wisdom to fully commit to Him. Believe and don't doubt, and watch God open the floodgates of heaven with a life of blessing, confidence, freedom, and purpose!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

- Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com