“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23).

It is a wonderful thing to be called a friend! It was God who said of David that he was “a man after my heart” (Acts 13:22), and we have read three times in the Bible that Abraham was called ‘the friend of God’. Indeed, God Himself said of him: “Abraham, my friend” which means that he had entered into the heart of God. We must be one with God in His suffering and in His joy. The deepest fellowship that can be had with Him is found in fellowship with His sufferings. When Abraham was obedient to the Lord’s command: “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest”, he certainly did reach the point of absolute fellowship with God, who Himself gave His only begotten Son. Abraham had been called upon to make many offerings in his life; many sacrifices had to be made from the day that he left his own country, but there was no sacrifice like this one, which touched him at the point where it cost him more than anything else. This was more than all the other sacrifices, and so, at last, he stepped right into the heart of God. And he was blessed beyond measure…

Theodore Austin-Sparks was born in London, England in 1888 and was educated in both England and Scotland. At the age of 25 he was ordained as a pastor; however, a few years later his “career” took a decidedly different direction when a spiritual crisis brought him to a place of brokenness. He left the denomination with which he was involved, dropped the title of “Reverend” and went on to produce much writing, all with a strong revelation of Christ.