Abdurraheem Green – Becoming God’s Friend

			I want to talk about something so important and so amazing. And that is the topic of becoming Gods
friend. Is it really true? Could we really become a friend of God? I want you to imagine something.
Because when we talk about any subject, one of the important things that we need to do is define the
terms define what we're talking about. So let's start with God. When we talk about God, are we
thinking about some old man in the clouds of the big beard sitting up there in the clouds? No, this
is not good. This is a false idea of God. God is the eternal Creator of the heavens and the earth.
God is not like anything we can ever really imagine. In fact, whatever you can imagine, God is not
		

			like that. There's an amazing
		

			saying that just all the way in imagine this, imagine you took a ring, you took a ring, you have a
ring, and you're in the desert. Now imagine, I want you to imagine the desert in front of you might
endless, endless miles of sand, and you took this ring, and you threw this ring in the desert.
		

			How small is that ring compared to the vastness of the desert? That is the comparison
		

			of this whole universe, this whole universe, which is how many billions of light years across the
whole universe is like a ring thrown in the desert, compared to the, the throne of God.
		

			And then if you imagine, again, a ring thrown in the desert, that is,
		

			that is also the comparison of this hole of the throne of God compared to the auto show the again,
the the throne of God, another throne of God. So the point being, how is God? How great is God? It's
beyond imagining how great God is. It's so hard for human beings for many humans to imagine what is
eternal and infinite. Yet, in reality, God is so great. Now, some people would say, What if God is
so great? And God is this, this being that you describe? How possibly can human beings have any type
of connection or relationship with the creator? You see, most people fall into one or two mistakes
when it comes in respect to God, either people imagine that in order for us to have some connection
		

			or relationship with God, God needs to become a human being God, they imagine God as some finite
created form. And this, this is this is anthropomorphizing god, this is making God like some
creative thing. And this is really not the fitting This is not the fitting to the majesty and the
splendor of God at all, for God is far from becoming human becoming a human being, or becoming so or
being like some finite created thing. On the other hand, the other extreme is that people imagine
that God is if there is a God there will say, Well, God is some remote, you know, being master being
that's crazy everything and just left us, he doesn't care about us. He doesn't care about our lives.
		

			He's just left us. And that's it. And how can you possibly have a relationship with such as such a
being, but this is also imposing a type of limitation on God, based upon our own human limitations.
In reality, we can have a relationship with God, we can have a connection with God. But I want to
say something, I want to make some, like a caution. When I say connection, when I say relationship,
these are just human terms for what we experience. And I want to give you an example, you've maybe
heard an example like this before, if if I asked you to describe to me a mango, what is a mango,
like,
		

			you're very, very limited in how you can describe the taste of a mango, you can say it's sweet,
maybe you can describe describe the texture of the flesh of the mango. But in reality, what you can
tell me about the actual taste of the mango is very, very limited. And this is also true when it
comes to trying to describe that connection or that relationship that we human beings can have with
God. We call it a connection. We call it a relationship, but it is actually in reality, something
very unique that you have to experience. Now I want to ask you please to imagine that
		

			Because there may be many people out there out there who are skeptical. Maybe you don't believe
there's a God, maybe you think maybe there is a God, maybe there's not? I don't know. But just I
want you to think if, if What if this universe does have a creator? What if this created this being
is perfect? Is the possessor of all the attributes of perfection? And what if we could actually
connect with God? What if we could really have a relationship, a connection with this Creator of all
things? Wouldn't that be something truly worth pursuing? Wouldn't that be something truly worth
dedicating your life to trying to find, and to manifest in your life? So having what I said about
		

			God, is that, in reality, you see that the the relationship that a human being can have with God is
always going to be the relationship of a finite, limited, created being with the one who is the
master, the creator, the Lord of the creation. And this is this is really the relationship between
us and God. It is the relationship between one who is all knowing all wise, complete, imperfect, and
we are limited and finite.
		

			So there is an example I want you to think about. Imagine you're a king, probably not difficult.
Maybe Imagine you're a king quite often. Imagine you're a king and you, you are the ruler of vast
lands. And in this king, in this kingdom, you have servants, you have one servant, this servant is
useless. Whatever you ask the servant to do, the servant does the opposite. The servant doesn't
listen to you, the servant doesn't care about the directions you give him or her. And this servant
has, in fact, all this servant is is a burden on you. And then I want you to imagine another
servant, a servant, who he needs to every single one of your requests, heed your commands. In fact,
		

			this servant is so diligent this servant is so dedicated, that this servant even seems to know what
you want, even before you ask it. Which of the two are you going to prefer? Which of the two are you
going to manifest your love and your care and affection for? No doubt,
		

			the two are not like each other. One is not like the other. The obedient servant is not like a
useless disobedient, one who doesn't even is just a burden on you.
		

			So this is an example
		

			of the one who obeys God and the one who disobeys God. This is the example of the one who is
attentive to the commands of the Creator, and the one who is ignorant and blind to what God wants.
		

			And in reality, this is how we can become a friend of God. We become a friend of God, by being
someone who is truly listening and trying to understand and implement in our lives, what the creator
wants from us.
		

			I want to I heard an amazing story the other day. And this amazing story was the story of a man who
went to prison. And he had a friend from a particular tribe, there was a particular tribe in
Pakistan that and then known to be if they love you, they really love you. And if they hate you,
there'll be your enemies for life. And this man went to prison, he had a friend from this tribe, and
this friend was so dedicated. This person was so committed to his friendship, that when his friend
went to prison, he went to prison with him.
		

			This is a very unique and special type of friendship. This is friendship on a different level. And
so this is the type of friendship This is the type of attitude This is the type of approach that we
should have in our relationship to our Creator.
		

			Now I want to talk about love the concept of love, because connected with friendship is the concept
of love. What is true love, we can love God, we should love God, we must love God, but the love that
we give to our Creator. The love that we give to God is very unique. It's it is a particular type of
love. And the only one deserving of this type of love is the creator alone. And this is the love of
complete submission, complete obedience.
		

			To every single command, and this is what is truly amazing about the character that we've been
talking about over the last few days, this amazing personality, this amazing human being called
Abraham, his name is Abraham, he truly manifested this concept of friendship, of love, of being a
true obedient servant of the Creator, whatever God commanded him, whatever God told him to do, he
did it. And really, this is the most amazing thing to have on our journey in life. Because when you
have that connection, when you have that relationship with the Creator, you begin to realize that as
you're traveling through this journey of life, this journey, there is full of hardships and
		

			difficulties and tests and trials, and tribulations. This is the reality of our life, everybody's
life has problems and has difficulties, this is the reality. But for the one who loves God, for the
one whom God loves, for the one who is a friend of God, actually, all these trials and these
difficulties, and these hardships, they are actually truly blessings. Because it is actually a way
through which and by which God brings us closer to Him, we only need to think about that, in our own
lives. A parent that truly cares about their children, which does not leave their children running
around, aimlessly, no, they will pass on to their children, the knowledge and the wisdom that they
		

			have. And not only that, they will discipline their children, they will guide them. And they
understand that as children, they follow their whims, they follow their passions, they follow the
desires, they will go this way and that way. And if you care about your child, you will teach them
lessons. And sometimes those lessons, many times those lessons will be hard lessons. Similarly, if
you want to be the most outstanding athlete, you want to be the best boxer, you want to be the best,
		

			best at any sport, or in fact, any activity, you have to train, you have to put yourself through the
most rigorous form of training. And when you're doing it, sometimes it is so painful, it hurts so
much, meaning you want to give up you want to stop, but you realize what is your goal? What is your
objective, what is what is it that you are heading towards? You know, that that goal and that
objective, if something very, very beneficial. And so this is the reality, that God, the creator of
this universe tests, the people that he loves the ones that he loves, he tests them, he puts them
through hardships and difficulties, because he knows the creator that through these hardships and
		

			difficulties, we learn we grow. And there's one final thing I want to mention, I know out there,
there are many people who are maybe skeptics, maybe they don't believe in God, I even heard one
famous person saying that God is people's imaginary friend. It's like, you know, little kids have an
imaginary friend. And God is like that imaginary friend. And I want to take you back to what I said
in the beginning. That if but what if God does exist? What if this created does exist? And what if
you can actually have a connection with God? You see another thing that you realize, when you know
God, when you become and you make that connection with God, and you seek to become a friend of God,
		

			and when you begin to love God, and you love what God loves, and you hate what God hates, and you
try to do in your life, what the creator wants you, then you experience something extremely
profound. And when you go through tests and trials and tribulations, you see the reality of the
Creator working in your life. And we find this in the life of Abraham, we see this in the life of
Abraham, we see that when he calls people in his story when he calls people to worship God.
		

			And they refuse. And when he tries to show them by smashing the idols to show them, Look, these
things that you worship, they're false. They build a fire, his people build a massive fire and they
throw him into it. And when he goes into the fire, the fire is made cool. We see that when God when
God tells Abraham to leave his son and his wife in this barren desert, he trusted God.
		

			And God cares for them in the most amazing way.
		

			And this is something that believer experiences throughout their life. Yes, God tests us. God puts
		

			through trials and tests and tribulations, but then you see the help of God comes, and this is the
reality this is how you experience in reality, that connection of god this is not coincidence these
are not coincidences. These are things that cannot be explained by simple random
		

			effects. Rather This is a proven an evidence in the believers life, that he is connecting with the
creator of all the universe. It's something, I invite myself first and then I invite invite you as
well, to take that journey and to explore this truly momentous dimension of your existence. And
through that, find true happiness and peace in your life.