What Kind of Friend is Jesus?
Theme For The Week: Our main text for this series of devotionals is from Luke 8.1-3. You can listen to teaching on this passage here: (part 1), (part 2) & (part 3).
Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”
Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.
Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!
“You are my joy and my judge. You are just and true in all you do. All your judgements are wise and good. You joined my life with yours in the cross and the resurrection. You are Jesus, the only name under heaven by which men and women are saved.”
Devotional: We have all had good friends and bad friends, best friends and distant friends, old friends and new friends. What kind of friend is Jesus? He is the type of friend that extends friendship to us even when we are at our worst. He called Judas Isacriot his friend at the very time that Judas was betraying him. He sticks with us and is faithful to his promises. He is the type of friend you can count on. He is an encourager and a servant. He is a friend who is wise and gives wise counsel. He is a friend who believes in you and sees more in you than you see in yourself! Our text for today is Psalm 103, which lists a number of descriptions of the type of friendship Jesus extends to us.
Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.
Psalm 103.1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song Friend of God and letting that truth shape our lives.
Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.
Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.