Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know Me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”   John 14:6-7 HCSB

Jesus is the only way to God, the Father. We must establish a good, solid relationship with Jesus to get to the Father and spend eternity in heaven. I ask today if you consider Jesus a friend, but we need to dig a little deeper than that.

Let me start by saying if you don’t consider Jesus to be a friend or if you have no relationship with Him, you should seriously consider getting to know Him. We do this through Bible study (not just reading the Bible alone) and prayer. We do this by entering His house and learning as much as we can about what he tells us in His Holy Word.

If you do consider Jesus, I want you to consider what type of friend you are to Him. Last night I had an opportunity to spend a few hours with some good friends. One I’ve known since first grade and one I’ve known since high school. We consider each other good friends. We know we can call on each other, but we only manage to get together about three times a year.

We are busy. We all have things going on in our lives. So even though we would like to get together more often, we can’t always seem to work it out.

This morning I will be spending time with friends in Bible study. I see these friends every week and some of them I see several times a week because they attend my church.

I will be meeting with a dear friend this afternoon. She and I talk often but only manage to see each other every few weeks. We used to meet every week, but as you know life gets in the way.

I have a friend that I walk with 4-5 days a week. We spend a couple of hours together almost every day.

I say all this to point out that we have different levels of friendship. We have acquaintances that we rarely see. We have friends that we see more often.

So, if you consider Jesus to be your friend, what category does he fall into? Do you go into His house for a visit a couple of times a year? Do you call on Him when you are facing hard times? Are your conversations two-sided, do you listen by reading His word as much as you talk to Him through prayer?

Or do you spend time with Him every day? Do you pray throughout the day? Do you acknowledge Him in all you do? Do you go into His house to worship and praise Him at least once a week or maybe more?

Do you have deep conversations with Him telling Him all your concerns and thanking Him for all the good He does for you and studying His word with others?

I don’t know about you, but I love my friends. I would do anything and everything I could to help if they were in need. Jesus loves us in that way. He gave His life so that we might be set free from sin and bondage. He paid the ultimate price for our ransom. Do you love Him in that way?

Our pastor posted something on social media last week about how many people refuse to go to Jesus’ house but will expect to live in His mansion. It just doesn’t work like that.

Good friends spend time with each other. They make time for each other. In John 15:13-14, Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are my friend if you do what I command you.”

Are you Jesus’ friend? Give that some thought. Jesus is always accepting new friends with open arms. So, if you haven’t established a good, solid friendship with Him, what are you waiting for?

Have a great day!