When I think of Jesus, I automatically call Him Lord. We address Him with such reverence because He is King of our lives—worthy of everything we have and do (Revelation 19:16).
But that’s not all He is. In John 15 Jesus clearly calls the disciples—and by extension us—his friends.
In a brilliant dynamic, Christ is not only our righteous, royal Master, but also our most intimate friend.
This news brings a sweet joy to my heart, and it should for you too!
As we obey and love Him as our Master, He listens and comforts us. As we live for His glory, He walks with us, encouraging and guiding us through the Spirit, His Word, and His church.
How did this relationship come about? Because of His selfless love. Though we were deep in sin against Him, He still chose to come and restore us to Himself.
Jesus provides the ultimate example for friendship, and encapsulates it in this description:
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (ESV)
Pause and remember: Jesus fulfilled this very definition at the cross. In doing so He made Himself our friend to the highest degree of love imaginable.
As we seek to follow and obey Him in everything, this is no exception. We are a genuine friend to others when we lay down our life like Jesus did.
So what does that look like? All of us may not have a physical cross, but there is a spiritual life-giving that needs to take place. We have to be willing to give all of ourself to our friends.
To grasp this further, let’s examine Christ’s own life. He demonstrated a beautiful example of friendship, one that we should prayerfully and gracefully follow in these 3 ways.
Leave a Reply