Learning to Lovewell: W3 - MON
A community where people learn and grow in an authentic relationship with God.
The Friendship God Wants
John 15:15 (NLT) “I no longer call you slaves, who don’t understand what their master is doing. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”
Jesus doesn't want servants. He doesn't want religious robots going through the motions. He doesn't want people who show up out of fear or obligation. He wants friends. Actual friends. This might be the most revolutionary statement in all of Scripture. The God of the universe, the Creator of galaxies and atoms, the One who holds all power and authority, looks at flawed, broken, inconsistent people and says, "I want friendship with you."
Many of us grew up with a different message. Maybe you learned that a relationship with God was work, something you had to maintain through perfect behavior and constant effort. Maybe it felt like being related to a demanding relative, someone you had to please but could never quite satisfy. Someone always watching. Always evaluating. Always just a bit disappointed. Maybe the message was: do enough, pray enough, be enough, and maybe—maybe—God will accept you.
But Jesus torches this entire script. He's not standing at a distance with a checklist of requirements. He's inviting you into the kind of relationship where secrets are shared, where hearts are known, where love flows freely. "I have told you everything," He says. Friends don't hide from each other. Friends trust each other with what matters most.
Think about your closest friendships. They're not built on performance. You don't earn your way into your best friend's heart every single day. You're loved because you're you, not because of what you produce or achieve. That's the kind of relationship God offers.
And here's the thing: your friends know you. They've seen you at your worst, tired, cranky, selfish, petty. They've heard your worst opinions, witnessed your worst moments, seen behind whatever mask you wear for the rest of the world. And they still choose you. They still want you around. They still pick up the phone when you call.
That's what Jesus is offering. Not a sterile, distant, transactional arrangement where you perform and God tolerates you. But genuine friendship. The kind where you're known, really known, and wanted anyway.
Jesus chose this word carefully: friends. Not subjects who bow from a distance. Not employees who clock in and out. Not students who are always being graded. Friends who belong, who are welcomed, who are wanted just as they are. Friends who get to show up messy and uncertain and still-figuring-it-out. Friends who don't have to pretend.
1. What messages did you receive growing up about what God wants from you?
2. How would your spiritual life change if you truly believed God wants friendship with you?
3. What would it look like to approach God today as a friend rather than as someone you have to impress?
The Friendship God Wants
John 15:15 (NLT) “I no longer call you slaves, who don’t understand what their master is doing. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”
Jesus doesn't want servants. He doesn't want religious robots going through the motions. He doesn't want people who show up out of fear or obligation. He wants friends. Actual friends. This might be the most revolutionary statement in all of Scripture. The God of the universe, the Creator of galaxies and atoms, the One who holds all power and authority, looks at flawed, broken, inconsistent people and says, "I want friendship with you."
Many of us grew up with a different message. Maybe you learned that a relationship with God was work, something you had to maintain through perfect behavior and constant effort. Maybe it felt like being related to a demanding relative, someone you had to please but could never quite satisfy. Someone always watching. Always evaluating. Always just a bit disappointed. Maybe the message was: do enough, pray enough, be enough, and maybe—maybe—God will accept you.
But Jesus torches this entire script. He's not standing at a distance with a checklist of requirements. He's inviting you into the kind of relationship where secrets are shared, where hearts are known, where love flows freely. "I have told you everything," He says. Friends don't hide from each other. Friends trust each other with what matters most.
Think about your closest friendships. They're not built on performance. You don't earn your way into your best friend's heart every single day. You're loved because you're you, not because of what you produce or achieve. That's the kind of relationship God offers.
And here's the thing: your friends know you. They've seen you at your worst, tired, cranky, selfish, petty. They've heard your worst opinions, witnessed your worst moments, seen behind whatever mask you wear for the rest of the world. And they still choose you. They still want you around. They still pick up the phone when you call.
That's what Jesus is offering. Not a sterile, distant, transactional arrangement where you perform and God tolerates you. But genuine friendship. The kind where you're known, really known, and wanted anyway.
Jesus chose this word carefully: friends. Not subjects who bow from a distance. Not employees who clock in and out. Not students who are always being graded. Friends who belong, who are welcomed, who are wanted just as they are. Friends who get to show up messy and uncertain and still-figuring-it-out. Friends who don't have to pretend.
1. What messages did you receive growing up about what God wants from you?
2. How would your spiritual life change if you truly believed God wants friendship with you?
3. What would it look like to approach God today as a friend rather than as someone you have to impress?
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