Friends of God
The Lord has filled my heart with joy;
how happy I am because of what he has done! ~ 1 Samuel 2:1 (GNT)
I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father. ~ John 15:15 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God has initiated a friendship with us.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for reaching out to me -- for counting me as a friend -- even though I'm not always loyal or friendly.
Yet, through Jesus you reveal yourself and what is important to you. And I really do want to please you more than anything else. So the friend thing must be working. Please help me to grow closer to you. I want to be a faithful friend. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
