You Are Part of God’s Inner Circle - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - February 15, 2019

You Are Part of God’s Inner Circle

By Rick Warren

“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 NIV).

The original Greek word for friend in this verse does not mean a casual acquaintance but a close, trusted relationship. The same word is used to refer to the best man at a wedding (John 3:29) and a king’s inner circle of intimate, trusted friends. In royal courts, servants must keep their distance from the king, but the inner circle of trusted friends enjoy close contact, direct access, and confidential information.

That God would want me for a close friend is hard to understand. But the Bible says, “He is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you” (Exodus 34:14 NLT).

God deeply desires that we know him intimately. In fact, he planned the universe and orchestrated history, including the details of our lives, so that we could become his friends. The Bible says, “He made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him” (Acts 17:26-27 The Message).

Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God’s greatest pleasure. God says, “If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me . . . These are the things that please me” (Jeremiah 9:24 GNT).

It’s difficult to imagine how an intimate friendship is possible between an omnipotent, invisible, perfect God and a finite, sinful human being. It’s easier to understand a Master-servant relationship or a Creator-creation relationship or even Father-child. Yet God wants us as his friends, and that’s an incredible honor.

PLAY today ’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

Transformed Complete Audio Series

**Get Transformed this year!**

Do you want to experience a real transformation from the inside out? Then you have to spend time listening to God’s word. That’s why we compiled the Transformed Complete Audio collection.

These eight messages from Pastor Rick Warren are sure to help you draw closer to God so you can experience the abundant life he designed you to live.

You’ll hear messages including . . .

• Setting Personal Goals by Faith
• How to Get Closer to God
• From Stressed to Blessed
• Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind
• How to Deal With How You Feel
• Facing the Fears That Ruin Relationships
• Transforming How I See and Use Money
• Facing Giants in Life and Work

The complete Transformed audio series is our gift to thank you for your financial support of Daily Hope, so please request it when you give below.

This collection is perfect for your audio library or to share with a friend or family member.

Thank you for your generosity to help more people learn, love, and live God’s Word!