He's My Very Bestfriend

During ENCOUNTER GOD RETREAT in Butuan City

               In life most people have someone to look up to. They have someone to call their hero or someone to call their best friend. Although these people vary dramatically from person to person, such as a football coach, a youth pastor, or a teacher, they each play special roles in the peoples lives that they touch. My best friend, my hero, my coach and my teacher are the all found in one person and his name is Jesus Christ. He is the author of my life, my comforter and my protector. Without Him I would be nothing. He gives my life meaning.
       
                I have had a relationship with my Lord for about 17 years. Most friendships don't last that long. People change and as you grow older new people come in and out of your life just as easily and sometimes as quickly as the seasons. It's hard to fathom that anyone could be a friend with someone for 17 years and He has never hated him or her and never wished they weren't his friends. It's hard to think that even when I lied and cheated He still loved me. I've never seen this relationship in any human being, but I don't need to because Jesus is all I need. For a while I was too confused to even understand what it meant to have a best friend. I have known so many humans that fail others; I couldn't even comprehend what it meant to have a friend who loved me no matter how bad I messed up.
                 It took me a while to give my whole life to Christ. I was stubborn and I thought that I could do everything by myself. For a while I thought I had it made, I thought I had the greatest life and nothing could get in my way. But when little disasters hit I collapsed. I wasn't strong enough to stand on my own. It was almost like my life didn't have any support beams, so I easily crumbled to the ground. Jesus is my support though, I don't need anything else. I don't need to worry about earthly things and now my life has a meaning.

                 I'm very much thankful for joining the Encounter God Retreat in Butuan City. There, I realized that  He’s the first person to ever care about you, and He cares about you more deeply than anyone else ever could. He’s been waiting for you to acknowledge Him, to turn to Him and to thank Him — for He has been faithfully caring for you throughout your whole life; He alone has sustained you. Though other people and forces have sought to exploit you, to undermine you and to steal from you because of greed and a lust for power, God has protected you so that you could hear this message about His goodness and great love – so that you can forever escape the weakness, ignorance and selfishness of this world by running into His arms. He wants to lift you up; up and out of the “lowest common denominator” situation that you may be finding yourself in. Though everyone around you may be devoid of hope, you do not have to “settle”!

                      God’s desire for you is abundant life – like a parent’s sincere desire for their child. Have you ever seen “that look” in your parent’s eyes, when you know that they just want you to be happy, to be successful, to have peace and security in your life? Imagine this same kind of loving goodwill being directed to you from God – but much more powerfully, and with none of the “baggage” or fears that your biological parents are likely to carry with them. Now turn to Him, talk to Him, acknowledge Him; spend some time focusing on God. If you have a Bible, read it.
           
                      Pray and ask God to help you read it, and to lead you to where in the bible He wants you to read – God uses the bible as one means of communicating with us – He can talk through the bible in very specific ways to meet our immediate needs; if the first one or two times you try this nothing special seems to be coming, don’t be discouraged, just try again. It could be that you just need to press into God and ask again.

                       How do I know that God loves us? He proved it to me by pulling my life “out of the pit” as it were. I called out to Him and He answered; He plucked me out of the situation I had found myself in after I called out to Him in prayer, and set my life on a new unshakable path, surrounded me with God-loving people, gave me joy, hope, peace and inner strength. He gave me a family, a job, and even a personal relationship with Himself. He gives me heavenly dreams and visions, special gifts, and unending encouragement.