Monday, January 28, 2008

Day Eleven: Becoming Best Friends with God

"Since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life." Romans 5:10 (NLT)

Stuff That Stuck Out:
  • Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure.
  • There are six secrets of friendship with God (2 today, 4 tomorrow.)
    • Become a best friend of God through constant conversation.
      • He wants to be included in every activity, every conversation, every problem, and even every thought. You can carry on a continuous, open-ended conversation with him throughout your day, talking with him about whatever you are doing or thinking at that moment.
      • Everything you do can be "spending time with God" if he is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of his presence.
      • Practicing the presence of God is a skill, a habit you can develop.
      • We don't praise God to feel good, but to do good. Your goal is not a feeling, but a continual awareness of the reality that God is always present.
    • Become a best friend of God through continual meditation.
      • A second way to establish a friendship with God is by thinking about his Word throughout your day.
      • Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. But meditation is simply focused thinking--a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.
      • When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that's called worry. When you think about God's Word over and over in your mind, that's meditation.
      • Friend's share secrets, and God will share his secrets with you if you develop the habit of thinking about his Word throughout the day.
  • Prayer lets you speak to God; meditation lets God speak to you. Both are essential to becoming a friend of God.
Point to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend.

Verse To Remember: "Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him." Psalm 25:14a (LB)

Question To Consider: What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day?

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