======================================================================== BE HIS FRIEND by Mary Wilder Tileston ======================================================================== Summary: To experience a deeper friendship with God, we must enter into discipleship, learn to love through service, and follow His will. Topics: "Christian Love", "Discipleship" Scripture References: John 15:15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mary Wilder Tileston emphasizes the importance of keeping God's word to experience His perfected love within us, as a sign that we are truly in Him. She highlights the concept that serving others is serving Christ, and that through acts of love and compassion, we are fulfilling our friendship with Him. Tileston also points out that love cannot be forced, but by immersing ourselves in the presence of the lovable and engaging in discipleship and service, we can learn to love as Christ did, eventually being called friends by Him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him. 2 John 5 I have called you friends. JOHN 15:15 THE hands that tend the sick tend Christ; the willing feet that go on errands of love, work for Christ; the words of comfort to the sorrowful, and of sympathy to the mourner, are spoken in the name of Christ--Christ comforts the world through His friends. How much have you done for Him? What sort of a friend have you been to Him? God is working through His people; Christ is succoring through His friends--it is the vacancies in the ranks of His friends wherein the mischief lies: come and fill one gap. ARTHUR F. WINNINGTON INGRAM IT is true that love cannot be forced, that it cannot be made to order, that we cannot love because we ought, or even because we want. But we can bring ourselves into the presence of the lovable. We can enter into Friendship through the door of Discipleship; we can learn love through service; and the day will come to us also, when the Master's word will be true, "I call you no longer servant, but friend." HUGH BLACK Through His will, loved and done, lies the path to His love. ANDREW MURRAY ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/mary-wilder-tileston/be-his-friend/ ========================================================================