A Daily Devotional with Pastor Doug Crouse  January 15, 2018  

Friends Forever   Scripture Reading – John 15:15 - 16 (NLT)

“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”  

The song says: ‘Who am I that You are mindful of me – That You hear me, when I call – Is it true that You are thinking of me – How You love me – IT’S AMAZING! – I am a friend of God – You call me friend!”

True that we have the honor and privilege of being bond-slaves, servants to the One true living God through Jesus Christ our Lord in the Person and power of the Holy Spirit. But in today’s text Jesus Christ Himself tells us indeed that He does not call us servants but rather His close friends.

The reason for this is because He has shared all of the Father’s great and glorious plan and purposes with us and now in the indwelling Person and power of the Holy Spirit we have all been enlisted to take the Good News that Jesus Christ saves to the very ends of the earth.

Even though all of us as God’s children can remember the time that we chose to follow after Jesus, today He is reminding us that it was not us who chose Him, but rather He who chose us. And my friends, He did not choose us that we would sit on the sidelines, but rather that we would get in the game as it were.

He has called us, chosen us, yes – He has appointed us to go out and bear not only a little bit, but much and lasting fruit for the glory of His name. The more that you and I choose to grow in the knowledge and scope of our calling in God, the more we will see that God will give us exactly what we are asking for in the name of Jesus because we are praying according to His good purpose and plan for our lives!

So keep on keeping on my friends for there are many others that our God has chosen too, and the way in which they are going to know about His love and grace is through me and you! Making more, ‘Friends Forever’, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Prayer Heavenly Father, how grateful I am to be called a friend of God because of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord. Use me, fill me and purpose my life to enable more people to hear Your calling on their lives and find life in Jesus name. Amen.  

Memory Verse:  Luke 11:1 NLT “_____, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1b