YOU ARE MY FRIENDS IF YOU DO EVERYTHING THAT I COMMAND YOU
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Julle is my vriende as julle alles doen wat Ek julle beveel.”
I pointed out on two previous occasions that I shared with you about Lazarus, that Lazarus did not say anything in any of the 11 times we read about him in the Word and yet the Word testifies very clearly of the beautiful love that was between Jesus and Lazarus.
This then, for the present, is the last thought about Jesus’ beloved friend Lazarus, who did not say much but who through his life, for his contemporaries and for all of Jesus’ followers over all the ages, has demonstrated this immense great truth.
The best Gospel message of Jesus and His love for man that you can preach to someone is the life you live .
Matthew 7:16-18
16By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
So what is our Lord actually saying to us?
As Lazarus lived what he believed, the people around me must be able to see Jesus and His love for man in me.
Matthew 3:8
8So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin];
I then conclude my conversations about this remarkable man, Lazarus, with the
following.
How wonderful, when our LORD call you, His friend.
We read about Moses:
Exodus 33:11
11And so the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his attendant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Moses had such a beautiful relationship with our Lord, that on occasion his face literally shone from our Lord’s presence in his life.
Exo 34:29-31
Moses’ Face Shines
29When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face was shining [with a unique radiance] because he had been speaking with God. 30When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him. 31But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him; and he spoke to them.
Come, let you and I live in such a way that our whole being shine with our Lord’s presence in our lives.
There was of course someone else of whom we read that he was our Lord’s friend:
Isaiah 41:8 “But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The offspring of Abraham My friend
Abraham, who show us through his life that he lived, that he will be obedient to our Lord, no matter what the cost.
Come, let you and I also follow our Lord, to put it this way, blindly. We know from the testimony of the Word, that our Lord will never fail us.
Then, of course, there was another person of whom the Word say that our Lord regarded him as His friend.
This man demonstrated through his life, that through your life you can shine for our Lord like Moses, and that you can count on our Lord, as Abraham could count on our Lord to the limit. Even if, as in this man’s case, that extreme is death.
JOHN 11:11
11He said this, and after that said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him.”
Do you also want to live in such a way that our Lord call you His friend – and do you wonder how you can live like that for Him?
Do you know –
This is exactly what our Lord want so deeply. He want to call you His friend – and therefore Jesus also tell us what we must do to have this wonderful close relationship with Him – like Lazarus.
Jesus want you and me as His friend so very much, that He even gave His life to make it possible for us to have such a relationship with Him.
JOHN 15:13
13No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.
What does Jesus want you and I to do, to have this close relationship of love with Him?
JOHN 15:14
14You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you.
Do you remember what we read, what our Lord say in His Word, how should we live for Him?
Matthew 3:8 8So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin];
What do these fruits look like that you and I should bear?
Galatians 5:22-23 22But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Romans 6:22 22But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God’s purpose], and the outcome [of this] is eternal life. !
Sakkie
Email: bediening@sakkieparsons.co.za
Website: www.sakkieparsons.co.za
Cell: 083 457 6669
Jude 1:24-25 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
If you have read this email and would like to receive emails regularly, please send me an email with your full email address in the “subject box” to bediening@sakkieparsons.co.za
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Because I am blind and use screen reading software so that the computer can talk to me, I will not know if the email is blank or contains a photograph. In both instances the computer will remain silent.
Some of the daily thoughts have been translated into English at this time. Should you wish to read of the others, please let me know so that I can prioritize the translation thereof. Please send me an email requesting the required daily thought.
J