Best Friends Forever

by Annie Yorty

Friends add to the quality of our lives, but relationships can sometimes be tricky. Through Jesus Christ, we have the absolute best friend who will never fail us. He makes the way for us to be best friends forever with God.

The Value of Earthly Friendship

The chatter of fifth grade girls greeted me as I approached the pavilion. The high roof shielded the gaggle from an overbearing mid-summer sun as they broke from camp activities and sat down for lunch. I slipped into an open spot at the long picnic table.

“Oh, hi, Miss Annie.” Julie waved, then rummaged through her lunch bag.

“Hey, Elly, do you want my goldfish?” Julie held up a snack-sized bag for her buddy’s perusal.

“Sure,” Elly answered. “Want my cookies?” The two lapsed into discussion of their evening plan after camp was over for the day. I heard talk of softball, pizza, and a sleepover.

“How do you girls know each other?” I asked.

“We’re best friends forever.” Elly threw her arm around Julie’s shoulders. “She lives next door, and we do everything together.” She and Julie looked at each other and giggled.

“That’s so fun!” I admired their easy camaraderie. “Did you know you can have a wonderful friendship like that with Jesus?”

Friendship with Jesus

In His final words to His disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus told them they were His friends (John 15:15). As their friend, He disclosed everything about His Father so they could be friends with Him too. This message also applies to us today. Jesus is our best Friend who helps us to know Father God.

Paul also wrote about the friendship we have with God because of our faith in Jesus.

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (Romans 5:11 NLT)

Qualities of a Good Friend

A while back, I wrote an article for Crosswalk entitled “7 Helpful Ways to Make and Keep Friends.” I shared an acronym with an easy reference to the qualities of a good friend.

     Forgiving

     Reliable

     Influential

     Encouraging

     Nurturing

     Devoted

As you review these characteristics, don’t you agree God makes the perfect best friend forever?

Best Friends Forever with God

Julie and Elly demonstrated their commitment to their friendship with their actions. How can we nurture and grow our friendship with God?

In the same Crosswalk article, I suggested seven ways to make and build human friendships. We can draw on those principles to produce a deeper friendship with God.

1. Recognize your need for a friendship with God.

Friendship with God begins with conducting an honest evaluation of your sinful state and admitting you don’t have a right to be His friend unless you receive His Son as your Lord. We need to approach God humbly and empty-handed, not counting on our own good works to save ourselves.

Have you ever confessed your need for a Savior? If not, your sin makes you an enemy of God.

If you are still living in sin and battling God, check out Steps to Peace with God and turn over control of your life to the One who will gladly welcome you as His best friend forever.

2. Drop all your pretenses.

In human relationships, we often present ourselves as we’d like to be seen rather than as we truly are.

When we try that approach with God, He’s never fooled by our pretense. God created us, so He knows us from the inside out, better than we know ourselves. Being honest about our feelings and flaws allows us to receive His maximum grace.

3. Invest time to get to know God.

We cannot know God without spending time with Him. God becomes real to us when we study and meditate upon His Word. As we study about Him, we learn to love His character, and our friendship deepens.

4. Talk to God every day.

Our earthly friendships languish when we go for months without talking. Yes, we may be able to pick up the relationship again after time passes, but we can’t really fill in all the gaps created by the separation.

The besties I sat with at Bible camp hung out and chatted every day. Likewise, we need to regularly talk with God in prayer if we expect a close and life-giving friendship.

When our hearts communicate with God through His Spirit, we better understand Him and His ways. We also have access to wisdom about life beyond our understanding. Our Friend is always ready to hear our thoughts and feelings and to share His with us.

5. Take God into every aspect of your life.

Friends enjoy going places and experiencing life together. God wants to be invited to accompany you to more than church on Sunday. He wants us to take Him to our workplace, recreation, family gatherings, and even our “private” time on our phones.

With God’s constant presence in every part of life, our holiness increases. Our love for Him and others grows.

6. Imitate your best Friend.

In my article on friendship with people, I suggest applying a lavish amount of God’s grace and forgiveness to cover offenses and disagreements.

As we identify with our Savior and allow His Spirit to control us, we will naturally exude His qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Our perfect Friend will never lead us in a wrong direction. We grow closer to Him when we reflect His character.

7. Tell people about your wonderful Friend.

Our earthly friendships flourish when we refrain from gossip and other negative talk. We always want to frame our friends in a positive light. In the same way, God gives us the privilege and opportunity to reveal His goodness to people we know.

What do you love best about God? Tell your family, friends, and coworkers about Him. Brag on Him to everyone you know. With the power of the Holy Spirit who saves, share the good news of Jesus. God always has room for more best friends forever.

Through Jesus, we can be best friends forever with God. #annieyorty #perceivegod #fromignorancetobliss Share on X

At Bible camp, everyone in my group of girls knew Julie and Elly were best friends. Does everyone in your life know God is your best friend forever?

Join the conversation:

What aspects of your friendship with God do you most enjoy?

I welcome your comments!

Copyright ©2024 Annie Yorty