Jesus spoke in John chapter 15:
12 “So this is My command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have Loved you. 13 For the greatest Love of all is a Love that sacrifices all. And this great Love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.
14 “You show that you are My intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. 15 I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you My most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from My Father. 16 You didn’t choose Me, but I’ve chosen and commissioned you to go into the world to bear fruit. And your fruit will last, because whatever you ask of My Father, for My sake, HE will give it to you! 17 So this is My parting command: Love one another deeply!”
What does for my sake refer to? The word sake and cause are synonymous and cause is defined as a substance exerting its power into act, to make a thing begin to be. It is something out of nothing or ex nihilo by FATHER’S Goodness.
When Jesus spoke the above Words, He established and declared to us that we could be His intimate friends IF and WHEN we obey His Commands in Agape Love. At the highest level, this is why FATHER has me write to you. HIS Divine Intent is for us to fully embrace the Words of Jesus and become true doers of The Word and not hearers only.
If you are just a hearer of The Word, you may be more interested in being entertained rather than being changed. As for me, I want to walk in the most intimate manner with FATHER, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit because I know “you become like the company you keep.”
I want to be invited to walk on that sapphire Altar which is before Our Heavenly Father. I want to see every person HE formed in the womb precisely as HE sees them. Isn’t this intimacy at the highest level? Isn’t this what you hunger for as well when you read these words of encouragement?
When I stand before Jesus and He reviews and makes an assessment of my life, I want there to be an abundance of fruit from my activities on earth. I trust you do too. Intimate friends naturally do things together, which includes producing good fruit for the Kingdom.
Jesus declared “You didn’t choose Me, but I’ve chosen and commissioned you to go into the world to bear fruit. And your fruit will last, because whatever you ask of my Father, for My sake, HE will give it to you!”
Do you truly accept these Words to be full of power and authority? I do. FATHER expects us to ask for resources to establish HIS Kingdom and there are no exceptions when asking according to HIS Will. HE does not intend for us to barely get by as we are fully committed to HIM. An intimate friend is more than willing to give his best to the other. Don’t you know FATHER wants HIS best for you?
We are supporting the impoverished kids because that is a priority of Our Heavenly Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ. What did He say to the rich young ruler in Matthew chapter 19?
21 Jesus said to him, “If you really want to be perfect (or mature), go immediately and sell everything you own. Give all your money to the poor and your treasure will be transferred into Heaven. Then come back and follow Me for the rest of your life.”
The rich young ruler did not pass the money test and Jesus revealed the young man’s love of money. This young man had the opportunity to become an intimate friend of Jesus but was blind and deceived even though he knew the Law. Notice that Jesus did not tell young man to give to His ministry. It was the poor Jesus was concerned about, as we are.
Intimate friends don’t lead each other astray but instead are protective of them and look out for their best interest. They disclose certain Truths that will make enrich the other person’s life. In this case, FATHER wants to reveal Truths to us once HE can trust us fully and completely. We are meant to walk in pure integrity.
Integrity is the entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty; integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property, and agencies for others. Can you pass the integrity test?
Each of us must make a periodic assessment of where we stand in the areas of trust and integrity. Both are enveloped inside the Commandment of Loving your neighbor as yourself. There is no manipulation to be found among intimate friends who truly walk in Agape Love.
There is a progression from acquaintance, to friend, to intimate friend. As we continue pursuing full maturity in Christ, we will know the difference in these three. Intimacy is reserved for the fully mature and it is worth the pursuit.