"He Calls Me Friend" -2

"For this is the Love of God, That We Keep His Commandments: And His Commandments Are Not Grievous." (1 John 5:3) Yes; this I believe is the key to it all; the key to knowing God, and being 'Called Friend'. This is also why I said that serving the Lord is not really a curse, as some may say that it is; but rather it is become who we are, and has become a pleasure. In fact, to those that are 'A Friend of God', serving is not serving, because you serve a master, but you will die for a Friend. This is what John is trying to get across in this very few 5 chapters: that we Love, and it is because we know and have experienced the Love of God, that we not only know Love, but that we have become Love, because God is Love. And now that we have become Love, those things which might seem grievous to others about keeping His commandments, are not grievous to us, because they become what we love, because those things are all about His Love. Okay, maybe I am speaking in circles; but really it comes down to what you love. In other words; Do you still love the things of the world, or the things of God? Which do you love more? When Jesus was questioning Peter in John 21:15-17, the very first question He asked, was, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?" In this first question of Jesus to Peter, there is the comparison of love (agape) toward Himself verses love toward material things, and others. Peter's answer was, "Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love thee." Peter in his answer used the expression, Thou Knowest (to know intuitively), and I love Thee (that I am your friend); which really was an upgrading by Peter of his devotion to Christ. The Lord, however, intuitively knew that Peter had not accepted His determination to die while He could avoid death, (Matthew 16:22 & 23). And, not only did Peter not acknowledge Jesus as his friend, but denied that he even knew Him (Matthew 26:69-75), even as Jesus had predicted Peter would (Matthew 26:31-35). Therefore, the Lord did not accept Peter's self-upgraded love from 'Agape' to 'Philia' (friendship). We love (agapao) God because He first loved us (1 John 4:10). But none of us, especially Peter, earn the right to declare ourselves friends (philos) to God. He alone can declare us as such, even as He did Abraham... "Thou believest that there is One God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the alter? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: And he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:19-23)