Servant or friend?

I recently had a conversation with a close family member. During the conversation l said that 'because a person has a gift  or grace for a particular thing upon  their life does not mean that they have a close walk with the Lord? A gift or grace is given, but closeness with the Lord must be cultivated. Its not automatic. 
 
Going back to the title of this article, lets  differentiae between a friend and a servant.

A servant is a person who performs duties for another. In other words, a servant gets commands and does them. Such a person
may not have a close relationship with their master. On the other hand, a friend stems from a mutual affection. You get to know each other very well. In cultures were servants are used, they may or may not the movements of their masters. 
  
While l am not undermining being a servant of the Lord as that's what we all are, its good to go a step further. We need to be servants and friends of the Lord. Its a much better place to be.
 
We have examples in scripture. The implications of these scriptures are  they were both servants and friends of God.

 
Moses:
 
Numbers 12:  7
 My servant  Moses  is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.  
  
Exodus 33: 11 
  And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his  friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

 
Abraham:

Genesis 26: 24
  And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham  thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy  seed for my servant Abraham's  sake.  


Isaiah 41: 8
  But thou, Israel,  art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

  Can you imagine God calling you His friend? 
  
I am sure that many in scripture and those that have gone before  us  have been both servants and  friends of God. What a beautiful place to be.

 
Jesus made a statement in the book of John:


 John 15: 13 - 15
  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.   Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command
you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant   knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things  that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.


Lets pay the price to become friends of the Lord.  Jesus here called His disciples friends. 
  
I remember reading an article from a man of God.  He said that an intercessor had a word from him. This was the summary of the  word " Tell Francis that l miss him".  The man of God had been so busy in ministry and  doing things that the time he was spending with the Lord began to diminish. 
 
 
Our walk with the Lord will be much more richer  as servants and friends. Lets please the Lord and do what it takes.


  Bisi  Oladipupo