God is a Special Kind of Friend

I am a former Army officer, and had a breakthrough while working as a support platoon leader for an artillery battalion. Jesus says he is our friend, but not like my Christian friends are. God is a special kind of friend.

My direct boss was in charge of all supplies for the 450 person unit. I took care of day to day beans and bullets. He and I were good friends, and he was my boss, but our friendship relied on my obedience. Any gap in obedience, and the friendship was lost.  Now , every metaphor has its limits, but I could suddenly feel how we are friends with God.

My boss was not an ogre, and neither is God. God is tougher and softer than that boss actually. Neither has much space for blatant disobedience.

In the Old Testament when they gave animals for sacrifice, God differentiated between unintentional and intentional sin. Unintentional was a bull. Intentional, no sacrifice is listed. It is seen as rebellion, and the person must die.

I could fail my boss, but I could not defy him.   Jesus died as we are sinners. We will fail. God has died for that. It is serious enough that someone needed to die. I John 1 says all have sinned. Who could die for me if I failed my boss in the army?

However, we ought not take the metaphor too far. We can say clearly that God is our King and is worthy of all honor. Defying him is not allowed.  We can repent, and return to God. It is like starting over.

God is a Special Kind of Friend – a Lot More Powerful

We need to offer a lot more deference to God as King, though in absolute obedience, closeness can occur. Sometimes, we need time to put a sin behind us. God knows our heart. He sees our path and smiles. He does not accept rebellion.

We should fear God, but not like we fear a tyrant. God is powerful beyond our understanding. Angels say do not fear when they appear to people as their power is frightening. God is much more than an angel.

Jesus ‘death helps us to move in love and live in love. Fear is a kind of enemy, but we need a kind of Godly fear. God does not want us to be afraid of doing something new.   God is with us if we do this new thing that feels wrong but we do with him. He wants us to grow. It is good for us to go to a church we do not feel comfortable with like going to a Pentecostal or Orthodox church would be for me. He is with us when we let down our guard with our kids. Many things seem wrong but are not in the Bible as wrong. Jesus hated that the Pharisees made the laws God gave harder to follow.

We meed not be frozen with fear. God did not intend that. He came to set us free. Yet we are slaves of righteousness.

We are bound to that which is good. Let us revel in it. Let us not forget that God is King on high. but also that he is kind to the humble and lowly of heart.