♫ I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God, He calls me friend ♪ (Houghton 2004)
“… encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still
called “Today,”… (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Hebrews
3:13)
For close
to 1,985 years there have been Christians trying to follow Jesus. Throughout those years, many Christians have
left their writings, telling of their Spiritual Formation; although we may not
agree on some issues, their writing can still inspire and instruct our lives
today. Without neglecting the nourishment
that comes from personal time in the word of God, let us explore some of the
writings that have come down to us from these Christians. Many of them never knew what a car or an airplane
was, some of them would not understand the internet; but they knew what it was
to try to live their lives for God.
Gregory of
Nyssa was a Christian who lived during the fourth-century AD, and was known for
his work, The life of Moses. In this he wrote that Moses was God’s friend
and serves as an example for us to copy (Gregory of
Nyssa, 136) . Consider this passage:
… it is time for you, noble friend,
to look to that example and, by transferring to your own life what is contemplated
through spiritual interpretation of the things spoken literally, to be known by
God and to become his friend. This is
true perfection: not to avoid a wicked life because like slaves we servilely
fear punishment, nor to do good because we hope for rewards, as if chasing in
on virtuous life by some business-like and contractual arrangement. On the contrary, disregarding all those
things for which we hope and which heave been reserved by promise, we regard
falling from God’s friendship as the only thing dreadful and we consider
becoming God’s friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire (Ibid. 137).
Although specifically Gregory was focused on Moses’
friendship with God (Exodus 33:11), we also hear Jesus’ words, “You are my
friend, if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). Motivation is a powerful tool and Gregory points
out that there can be wrong motivations regarding our friendship with God. The scriptures say that the fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), but Gregory did not think that fear
of punishment was an adequate motivator for seeking God’s friendship. Instead, friendship with God was the only
thing worth seeking and this not merely motivated by hope of gain, but because
it can lead to what Gregory called the perfect life.
Perhaps,
you can reflect on this thought of God’s friendship as you also reflect on “[God]
who has saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ
Jesus from all eternity” (Holy Bible: New American Standard
Bible, 2 Timothy 1:9) . Consider reading the Life of
Moses by Gregory of Nyssa and next week, we’ll look at another Christian’s writings.
Written by Pastor Ozzy
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Works Cited
Works Cited
1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible.
LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.
Houghton, Israel. 2004. "Friend of God." Live
from Another Level.
Nyssa, Gregory Bishop of. 1978. Gregory of Nyssa.
New York: Paulist Press.
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