Three words that shape our future….

There are three things about our friendship with Jesus that enable us to imagine a future that’s good and hopeful.

FRIENDSHIP

God did not simply want a relationship with us. He wanted something much more. Something more intimate. God always wanted a friendship with us, and not simply a relationship. A relationship is transactional, but a friendship is personal.

In the Garden of Eden, before the fall of mankind, God used to walk with Adam and Eve. He used to walk and talk with His friends! Before anything else, there was friendship between God and man. Between the creator and His beloved creation.

Jesus’ life and work on earth was about recovering and restoring that deep personal friendship. The gospel is the good news about the recovery of friendship.

That’s why Jesus can say in John 15:15: “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.”

Why does this matter? It matters because we can contemplate the future with God as our friend. Not as a distant, detached god but as our Friend.

How different would the picture of your future look if you truly believed that you step into it with God as your friend?

LORDSHIP

Jesus is not simply a Saviour. He is our Lord. That means that He saves us for eternity, but He also rules us with His loving care here and now on this earth.

This matters because when we consider our future with Him as Lord, we do so knowing that our future is in His hands, not ours. For Him to be Lord means that we surrender our future on earth to Him, and that He can be trusted.

For Him to be Lord means that ultimately, He is in control.

The question really is whether we can cope with Him as Lord of our future? Or, whether we would rather retain control for ourselves?

IDENTITY

Our identity is replaced the moment we begin to follow Jesus. Our primary identity becomes children of God. We’re adopted into His family as His children.

Romans 8:16-17

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,

He is our friend. He is our Lord. But most intimately, He is our Father.

How differently would you contemplate the future if you knew that you stepped into it with a faithful friend, a loving Lord, and an open handed Father?

Three words that shape our thought of the future. Three words that matter deeply.

Friendship

Lordship

Identity