James 2:23b
‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to
him righteousness’ and he was called a friend of God.”
What comes into your mind when you
hear the word “friend”? Our meaning of friend today is somewhat different than
how the audience hearing this letter would have understood it. Today, friends
are generally thought of as people that we do things with. Whether it is playing,
shopping, or eating, we tend to do these things with our “friends”. James would
have had something very different in mind. Cultural study tells us that the
relationship between “friends” of that day would have been much more similar to
a benefactor/clientele relationship. Friendship meant that you depended on
someone completely to meet your needs or vice versa.
James expounds on this idea later in the letter. “You
adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
God? Therefore, whoever might wish to be a friend of the world is rendered an
enemy of God.” (James 4:4) This rather harsh language stresses the danger of
relying on the world for our needs. Later in the chapter James goes on to
exhort members of the church (likely merchants) concerning reliance on the
world and their own plans for success (vv. 13-14).
Ultimately, James poses the
question, “Who are you relying on to meet your needs?” Even the best friends in your life can let you down because we're all human. God is not that kind of friend. Abraham trusted in God
completely by offering up his son because God promised him descendants as
numerous as the sand on the beach. I am not trying to negate plans or
intelligent preparation. What I am proposing is that we (the church) can get
caught up in worry and fear about our future and fail to trust in the most
powerful being in the universe to meet our needs. I wonder what our lives might
look like if we truly believed the words of Jesus in Matthew 6 when He said “do
not be anxious about your life” (v. 25) but instead focused on “seeking first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (v. 33).
So to you, dear reader, I pose the same question: Who or what are you relying on to meet your needs? This world and all that is of this
world, although tangible, will ultimately fail us. Let us instead strive to be
a friend of God and keep in mind an acronym that was very popular in my youth:
F.R.O.G. which was a reminder to Fully Rely On God.
