
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends; You are my friends if you do what I command. —John 15:13-14
You shall love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and with all your strength.
—Mark 12:30-31
The writer asks us to consider “What kind of love a man would have to lay down his life for a friend?” This sort of Agape love can only be described as amazing! Jesus, having this kind of love for his bride, the church, laid down his life for us all. Laid down. His life was not taken. The almighty God that created heaven and earth came to us in the form of a babe born of a virgin. He certainly could have called 10,000 angels to defeat the ones that nailed him to the cross. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit know the end of everything from the beginning. Therefore, knowing that only the precious blood of Christ could save us from condemnation, He laid down His life willingly, while we were yet in sin.
This brings me to ask, are we then, truly ‘friends’ of God? Jesus laid down His life for a friend, but how many of us would be willing to do that? I’m the first to admit that although I try, I am not always holding up my end of the friendship at all. We meet our secular friends for coffee, make dinner reservations far in advance. We ‘friend’ people on Facebook all day long or send a thoughtful tweet throughout the day, just because. We bestow our friends with our time, respect, pour resources into them, and give them our love. How have you loved God today? This friendship is in many ways very one-sided. We are asked to fellowship, pray, read our Bible and to spread the good news. REALLY… IT’S NOT HARD:
- Fellowship-go to church (You will be welcomed, encouraged, fed, and missed.)
- Pray-talk to God (How else can we stay connected to our heavenly father?)
- Read the Bible (It’s literally a roadmap for every one of life’s little or big nuances.)
- Spread the Good News (Testimony Time! Simply talk about what He’s done, what you’re expecting, about His goodness.)
To be a friend of God is to love Him. I’ve found that putting God first in my life is the easiest way to walk the straight and narrow. Many say to err is human. For some of us with challenging pasts, errors are an everyday occurrence. The grace of God keeps me grounded, His forgiveness and grace keep me going. Trials and tribulations come daily, but I’ve found that I can always receive enough grace for today. Everyday. And it is sufficient for me to continue walking this walk. I am a friend of God.
Lord, please help us to be friends of you. Thank you for your love, grace, and peace that you so freely bestow upon us each and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Mecah Idikwu