Day 1 Friendship with God

James 2:14-24; 4:4-10

1.  Read James 2:14-24 What is about Abraham which led to his being described as God’s friend? See also 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 4:18)
2. Would you describe yourself as a friend of God?  Can you think of areas where what you believe isn’t reflected in how you behave? (Oh this hits for me :))
3. Read James 4:4-10 What does James mean by “friendship with the world”?  Why is impossible to be a friend of God and a friend of the world?
4. From this passage, how can our friendship with God be strengthened? (Make this personal to your own life)

Day 2 Job’s Friends Job 2:11-13; 42:7-10 – (Another one of my favorite passages how Job responds when he has every worldly reason to give up)

1.  Read Job 2:11-13 How did Job’s friends demonstrate the genuineness of their friendship? How do you think Job would have felt if they had launched into their response without this initial stage?
2. Can you think of instances in your own life where such sensitivity has been important?
3. As it turns out, the arguments of Job’s friends cut no ice with God.  Read 42:7-10.  How does Job demonstrate friendship at this point?

Day 3.  Carrying Burdens

Mark 2:1-12; Galatians 6:1-5

1.  Read Mark 2:1-12 What evidence is there that the four men carrying the paralytic were his friends?  How was their friendship expressed (see v. 5)?
2. Now Read Galatians 6:1-5.  What might carrying one another’s burdens involve?  Can you think of any recent personal experience which sheds light on this? Share
3. How might we explain the apparent contradiction between the beginning of verse 2 and verse 5?

Day 4   Friends of Jesus

John 15:9-17

1.  Read John 15:9-17.  Becoming a friend of Jesus is quite different from becoming a friend of anyone else.  Why do you think this is the case?
2. What does Jesus contribute to the relationship that exists between himself and his friends?
3. What is the essential difference between a ‘servant’ and a ‘friend’ of Jesus? Which one are you?
4. What is the ‘master’s business’ to which Jesus refers here? In what ways does it involve you?

Day 5 Paul’s Christmas -card list?

Romans 16:1-16

1.  Paul often greets individuals by name in his letters, but this is the longest list of such people in the New Testament.  As you read it through, what do you learn about Paul from what he says about his friends?
2. What do you think it would be like to have Paul as a friend?
3. Read Acts 19:31; 24:23; 27:3 How were some of Paul’s friends able to help him?

Going Further:  One of the best friendships in the Bible is between David and Jonathan…..Read 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 20:1-42; 23:15-18, 2 Samuel 1:1-12; 9:1-13.  What do you notice from their example?  Do you have friends like this?