GOD WHO RELATES
John 15:14-17
John 15:14: “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”
By the time kids graduate from high school in the USA, they’ve known other kids for about twelve years. They’ve grown up together. They have many friends. Friends come in different packages, on different levels, though.
Some friends love you unconditionally. Some love you because they love what you can do for them. Jesus is a friend on both of these levels. Jesus is a package that we can unwrap daily for His love to wrap around us, and lead us by His Spirit to reach our life’s best for His glory.
Every year, Christians honor God by celebrating the birth of His Son Jesus at Christmas time. The story of Mary and Joseph coming to Bethlehem only to find that all inns are full fills believers with traditional joy of Jesus being born, then laid in a feeding trough called a manger.
Jesus lying in a manger is fitting. He came to earth as the Lamb of God. John the Baptist tells us in John 1:29 that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world.
Jesus did that by willingly laying Himself on the cross to be crucified to death for human sin. He was perfect. He lived a perfect sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). He showed people God the Father. He came as a human—but fully God—to show us how God relates to humans. He came as a man to show us how to relate to God the Father through Him.
God the Father can relate to sinful people after His perfect Son paid our sin debt with His life. Only a perfect sacrifice would do. Only a sinless sacrifice could pay for sin through His blood (Exodus 12:5, Leviticus 17:11). Perfect and blood are two conditions the Father places on forgiving sins.
Jesus also died and paid for our sins—how else?—perfectly!
Now humans can approach the Father boldly, confident that He hears us (Hebrews 4:16) and accepts us as His children (Galatians 3:25). God created people in His image so to relate to us…and us to Him (Genesis 1:26).
Does it surprise you that the word relationship comes from the word relate? Check out the lesson linked below for more ways Jesus relates to His believers.
Take Home Nugget
Jesus’ disciples had the awesome privilege to hang out together for three years. Their relationship wasn’t unique. Today, right now, God is reaching out to relate to you! If Jesus calls you “friend,” our heavenly Father can call you, “son or daughter.”
Does this WOW you this Christmas season?
Holy Christmas gift of Jesus can be unwrapped daily for people to relate to God.
J.D. Griffith
Written for http://www.Biblestudyforkids.
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