Choosing Friendship with God

If you are reading this, then it is likely that you or someone you love is curious about what it means to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and enter a friendship with God. That decision can be a simple one because Jesus has taken care of providing the gift of salvation for you. All you must do is choose to accept his free gift.

You see, God created you to be his friend. He wants you to experience the fulfillment of living in an intimate relationship with him. Allow me to share some thoughts that can help you make the decision to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and connect with God in friendship.

1. We all start out separated from friendship with God.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

"All have sinned." Wow, that doesn’t sound like a good thing! But what does the statement actually mean? Does it mean I’ve committed some terrible act? Actually, sin is the decision to live according to our own desires and plans rather than by following God and his Word. Sins like lying or stealing—actions that go against what God tells us to do—are the result of that overall decision to live life our own way.

When Satan tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in the garden, he told them that doing so would make them "like God" (Genesis 3:5). In other words, they would be so wise they could live independently of God—they could go their own way. That scenario appealed to Adam and Eve. They ate the fruit, violating their friendship with God, and ended up separated from him. That blew it for all of us. I know it doesn’t seem fair, but now everyone comes into the world separated from God. We all want to go our own way.

2. God made a way for us to escape the death of separation from him.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23

When we are separated from God, we experience a spiritual death. That is because God never intended for us to live separated from him—he created us to walk with him in a loving, fulfilling friendship. Though Adam and Eve’s sin disconnected all of us from that friendship, God made a way to heal the breach and reconcile us back to himself. That way is Jesus Christ. Because God gave us Jesus, we can experience life with God both here on earth and forever.

3. Jesus’ willingness to die for our sin restores us to friendship with God and is the proof of God’s love.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:6-8

God loved us so much and desired our friendship so desperately that he gave Jesus, his Son, to die for our sins. A payment for sin had to be made in order to restore us, and God sent Jesus to make that payment. Because Jesus willingly gave up his life, we can be forgiven and live in friendship with God. If there is any doubt in your mind about God’s love for you, then focus on this: God sent his own Son to die for you. I have four sons and a daughter, and I would be hard-pressed to allow any of them to die for someone else, let alone send them somewhere to die for people who had no personal connection with them. But God loved us so deeply that he gave us his only Son (John 3:16).

4. We can choose to accept the gift of God in Jesus and become God’s friends.

For "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." – Romans 10:13

Right now, if you will turn in your heart to God, accept the free gift of Jesus’ sacrifice, and ask God to forgive you and make you his friend, he will do it. You may not feel any differently, but when you make the decision to accept Jesus as your Savior—as the One who saved you from the death of sin—God makes you a new person. From this moment on, your life becomes a journey in friendship with God. Don’t let anyone or anything convince you that nothing has changed—you have crossed over from death into life! You are living at the Next Level!

We talk to God through prayer. You may not know exactly what to say to God or how to express what is in your heart, but I would love to lead you in a simple prayer. Would you like to stop now and pray?

Congratulations on your decision! You are now God’s friend! Your sins are forgiven, and you have received new life. Please continue exploring our website to learn how you can get started on your journey with God, getting to know him through his Word and discovering his great plans for your life.

Your friend,

Courtney

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