I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship. Around Del Rio, we have a whole lake reminding us of it. Lake Amistad. Friendship. That’s a good word to live near. An even better word to live into.
Then James comes along and makes friendship sound dangerous: “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.”
Well, there goes being friendly.
But before we start making a list of people to avoid, James wants us to look at our hearts. He calls us “double-minded.” That is, we say we want to draw near to God, but we also want to hold on to whatever gets us our way.
Do you know the feeling?
I want God to shape my life. I just have a few things I want God to leave alone.
But friendship means something. The people closest to us have a way of influencing us. We begin to notice what matters to them. Their concerns become our concerns.
Shouldn’t friendship with God do something like that?
If I’m drawing near to God, wouldn’t I begin caring about what God cares about? Wouldn’t that change how I treat someone and how I think about them? James challenges our effort to be close to God while keeping a divided heart. Thankfully, he also says God gives more grace.
So, we can return. We can be better friends as we learn to be honest about where we've wandered. But let’s do more than feel relieved about that.
If you catch yourself insisting on your way, thank God you caught yourself. Then ask, “What matters more to me right now: getting what I want or following God?”
You don't need to live near Amistad to become a better friend. Remember that Jesus calls us friends, and live like God’s friendship is changing you.
Stay blessed...john
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