The other friend I spend at least one-week of vacation with every year. We speak regularly on the phone, send emails, and see each other whenever he is on the east coast for business or seeing his wife’s family.

Now you tell me, with who am I the better friend with?

Do you see the point I am trying to make? The word friend has become one of the most over used words in society. It is used to describe someone who is just an acquaintance. It is used to describe someone who is a trusted confidant.

You just have to wonder how far humanity has fallen when we define man’s best friend as a dog. Is it a coincidence that dog spelled backwards is God? Or is it prophetic meaning that our thinking is backward?

When you think of God as your friend, would you say God is more of an acquaintance or God a trusted confidant?

With every war come stories of heroism. Perhaps you remember hearing a story that came out of the Viet Nam War about a soldier who through himself on a hand grenade to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. He was lauded as a hero as he should have been. Minister’s, myself included made analogies about his life-saving death and Jesus’ life-saving death.

Let me ask you what would you think if the soldier threw himself on a hand grenade to save the lives of his enemies?  Why would he do such a thing?  Perhaps to better emulate Jesus?  Remember scripture says,

Jesus died on the cross for His enemies, for you and me sinners.

Jesus’ death on the cross is God’s offer to you and me for an intimate and lasting friendship to those who revere Him, who hold Him in highest honor. What relationship could ever compare with having the Lord of all creation for a friend?

What price are you willing to pay to have God as your best friend?  What price are you willing to pay not to have God as your best friend?

Psalm 25 reveals how passionate God is about His friendship, His relationship with you and me. (Read Psalm 25)

How passionate are you with regards to your relationship and friendship with God?  Is this the extent of your passion, one hour a week?  It is important to set aside this time each week to worship.  It is like when I was away at college and I called home every Sunday night to speak with Mom, Dad, my grandparents, and Diane.  That weekly phone call was not the extent of my communication and interaction with them.  It was supplemented by cards and letters as well as other phone calls.

This must be true of our relationship, our friendship with God. “He wants to be included in every activity, every conversation, every problem, and every thought.” (Rick Warren)

Spending time with God cannot be limited to a certain hour once a week. The key to friendship with God is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do. What you normally do for yourself begin doing it for God. Whether it is eating, bathing, working, relaxing, or taking out the trash.

Practicing the presence of God is a skill, a habit you can and need to develop. Just as musicians practice scales everyday in order to play beautiful music with ease. You must train your mind to remember God.

Practice what many monks do, practice “hourly prayer.” If you have a clock at home that chimes on the hour discipline yourself to stop what you are doing and pray when you hear it strike the hour. Allow the hourly chime to remind you of God’s presence. When you hear the church’s carillon allow them to be a reminder to you to focus on God.

Practice meditation. I have heard people say I can’t meditate. I don’t know how to meditate.  Rick Warren points out in his book, The Purpose Driven Life that if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. All it takes is to switch your attention from your problem to the Word of God.

Prayer lets you speak to God, meditation lets God speak to you.

Meditation means asking yourself how you should change so you’re living as God wants. Knowing and meditating on God’s Word are the first steps toward building a best friend relationship with God.

Jesus made friendship with God possible. What you do with this possibility is your choice.