My Experience With Jesus
Several years ago, I was put in an awkward position. I was a hiring manager for my employer, and the manager of one of the staffing companies I worked with was managed by someone who was challenging to work with; he said the same about me. At one time, we both worked for the same company. I moved on while he continued in his role.
We were polar opposites when it came to staffing. However, his employer was one of the companies on our preferred vendor list. So, we would bump heads each time I had an opening I needed to be filled. It was never personal.
Anyway, one day I received an email from him telling me he was unemployed. I knew this was a difficult step for him, so we talked and emailed a few times. Our roles switched: I was helping him transition from his job of twenty years, and he was seeking employment that would not result in a significant fall in his income and role.
Jesus Made Us Peacemakers
At one point, he expressed his surprise and appreciation. He did get back on his feet, and his career has grown and thrived. I learned an important life lesson from this experience. Jesus is a peacemaker. He did this for my friend and me, and He did this for God and me.
“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
Romans 5:11
When Jesus gave His powerful Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NLT) Notice that Jesus didn’t say “peacekeepers.” A peacekeeper tries to keep things the same. There is no resolution, only tension; Jesus has called us to be peacemakers. Our Lord wants us to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to bring healing, to facilitate conflict resolution.
Jesus Makes His Followers Friends With God
I have often experienced and observed the Holy Spirit’s mighty work in this area of human relations. As reborn persons, washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus has made us friends of God. Think of this! Throughout the entire Old Testament, I’ve only found a handful of people that God called His friend. Abraham was a friend, as were Moses and King David. Enoch and Noah were likely friends of God, as Isaac, Joseph, and Joshua possibly were – but that’s conjecture.
So, over more than 2,000 years, we are sure of three friends of God and five candidates. Yet, because of your salvation, Jesus has made you a friend of God. You are in a rare and pious company. No matter how much we marvel at Jesus, He is more marvelous still.
Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay
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