April 17th, 2015

A Hair Worth Splitting?

Now that I have entered ‘This Season of Life” - 
(translation =  Now that I am old, forgetful and above all - at times crotchety),  
I am taking this opportunity to talk about a ‘pet peeve’.  

There is a song we sing at Church that has a great melody and generates emotions as few others do. The lyrics are sound Biblically - at least most all of them. But there is one phrase in the refrain, that is sung loudly and repeatedly, that ‘hits this crotchety old man’ the wrong way. The song is: Friend of God, by Israel Houghton

The refrain is:  

I am a friend of God 
I am a friend of God 
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend.

I ‘hear’ the phrase this way:  “I (ME, MYSELF, THE ALL IMPORTANT ONE) am a Friend of GOD.” And because He, God Himself calls me friend, I AM IMPORTANT.

Now, before you respond with - “You are definitely out of your mind”, bare with me a minute. Look again at the title of this post, “A Hair worth Splitting?”, and consider a couple of thoughts.

We live in an era and a culture where much of everything centers around ME. I like to call it ‘mine-ism’.  We ‘hear’ phrases  everyday like: ‘If it’s going to be, it’s up to me”; “My house”; “My car”; “My possessions”; “My life”; “My friends” or My ________”..

As we sing this song, I sometimes wonder what we are really ‘celebrating’? Are we subtly ‘bragging’ that God is our Friend, much as we would if we said, “I am a friend of the President of the United States. Even he calls me friend.  (Well, maybe that isn’t a good example) But you get the point.

The significant difference in this HAIR SPLITTING ‘rant’ is this:

There is a huge difference (as huge as can be when looking at a split hair) between saying:

‘God/Jesus is my Friend ‘and ‘I am a Friend of God/Jesus.’

1. "God is my friend"

Think about it. You walk up to someone and say:  “God is my friend”   Here the emphasis is on God before you. It is God who has chosen you as a friend.   

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends….. “ John 15:15

“And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”  James 3:23

GOD/JESUS > ME     God/Jesus is GREATER than me. It is His choice to come to me, to call me friend. 

2. “I am a friend of God”

Now you walk up to someone and say; "I am a friend of God"  Here the emphasis is on YOU before God, Who gets the focus of the praise here? it is YOU.  Again, isn’t it a subtle form of pride - or bragging or even self-righteousness to say that “Hey, I am a personal friend of God”.

I / ME > GOD/JESUS      I/Me is GREATER than God/Jesus. In doing so we bring God down to our level. He is another one of our friends. The term ‘friend’ is loosely thrown around in our culture. Even our pets are our friends. Yes, God came down and became flesh, but He remains the sovereign God of the universe. He is not to be brought down to our comfort level, to join us, but we are to die daily to self and join Him. It is truly all about Him. 

In a very subtle - hair splitting way - we place ourself as GREATER than God/Jesus, when we say I AM a friend of God.  

Look at the words of another great - although old - hymn written by Joseph M. Scriven.

What A Friend we have in Jesus

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged--
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows your every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge--
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Where is the focus of this song? All of the focus is on HIM.

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So there is no misunderstanding here, I will still thank and praise God EVERY time we sing the song and even on the refrain - for even as the verse says, He has called me Friend. Life would not be the same without MY friend Jesus.

To those who have read this far, thanks for taking the splitting hair journey with me. And some of you will be right to conclude that this old guy has 'way too much time on his hands.!!

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