I call you friend.

 I Call You Friend

A Reflection on John 15:13-15, James 2:23, and Proverbs 18:24

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15)

I call You Friend—not a distant, cold, commanding name,

But the warmth of a relationship that will never be the same.

You are not just a King enthroned in majesty above,

But a Friend who draws me close with the tenderest of love.

A Friend who sticks closer than a brother,

A Friend who loves me like no other.

You lay down Your life for me, You call me by my name,

You share with me the secrets of the Father's heart and flame.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)

You are my Friend—in the valley and the peak,

In the silence and the suffering, in the victory and the weak.

When I am lost, You find me. When I am weak, You hold me.

When I am broken, You mend me and make me whole.

You have called me Friend—not because I am worthy,

But because You chose to love me, to walk with me in the journey.

You have opened Your heart to me, You have shared Your plans,

And in Your friendship, I have learned to stand.

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. (James 2:23)

I call You Friend—not with casual words,

But with the deep intimacy of a heart that is stirred.

To know You is to know love, to know grace,

To know the One who has taken my place.

A friend loves at all times—and You are always there,

In the laughter and the tears, in the joy and the despair.

Your friendship is not conditional, not based on my worth,

But on Your faithful love that has given me new birth.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

So I call You Friend—and I will never be the same.

You have changed my heart, You have called me by name.

In Your friendship, I find my identity, my home,

And I will never, ever walk alone.

Thank You, Jesus, for calling me Friend.

I am Yours, and You are mine—forever.

Amen.