It’s one thing to start a long project, it’s something else entirely to finish. We start training for a marathon, but we get an injury that sidetracks us. We dream of writing a book, but when we discover the difficulty of the task, we get bogged down. We order plans to build a desk, buy the materials, even get the oak cut to size. But then we are stymied by the dovetail joints.

Greg Laurie has a book, Losers and Winners, Saints and Sinners: How to Finish Strong in the Spiritual Race. He tells the story of Al Marchand, who was a flight attendant on flight 175 on September 11, 2001. That’s the one that struck the south tower. Al had become a believer a few years before and had felt a call to become a flight attendant. He wanted to be there to share the gospel if he was ever on a plane that went down. No doubt many from that plane walked through the gates of heaven with him. Greg uses his story as an example of someone who finished well.

Sweet Jesus, we want to end well–in the long projects as well as in our lives. Please help us push through the obstacles we will confront today.

I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.

John 15:15, NET

A friend, reared in another country, grew up with servants. We were traveling together to a conference and had stopped for a meal. I had been teasing her about expecting things to be done for her, so when we returned to the vehicle, I opened the car door for her. She got in the back as I opened my own door and settled myself in the front seat. I turned to face her, laughing.

"Did you notice, I opened the door for you?"

"Oh, you did, didn’t you?"

She hadn’t noticed because it felt so familiar to her to be waited on. But she is a friend, not my master. Jesus is both Master and Friend. We have little experience in the world with this kind of relationship. I was play-acting with my friend to be her servant. If I were her servant, we would not be friends. We are Jesus’ servants, though we are also friends. 

God is both/and, not either/or. What are the implications of this full-orbed connection he offers? Do we need to shore up one side or the other? If we know him primarily as Lord, we can know him better as close companion. If we know him as friend, we need also to know him as Lord.

Jesus, reveal afresh the fullness of the relationship you offer.Thank you. We want to know both your friendship and lordship..