“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
In the beginning, God and man enjoyed a wonderful camaraderie in the Garden of Eden. After the fall, God never stopped desiring that friendship. Motivated by this desire for love and friendship, Jesus laid down His life so we could all become His friends again. He said, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14) Being called a friend is one of the highest honors God has bestowed upon us. It is much more honorable than being called a servant. In the same breath that Jesus said that He no longer called us servants, He also stated that we are His friends, “if you do what I command.” (John 15:13) That is what servants do, they obey. While this may seem a little confusing, it means that friendship has responsibilities. Serving God is a part of being His friend. This servitude is not a legalistic requirement, but a willful act of love and friendship. We are giving ourselves to His desires and needs because we want to be with Him, for Him to have what He wants. Service is an expression of love to those we consider real friends. And friendship is a two-way street. Jesus said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14) Jesus is not only looking to have us serve Him, but He made Himself a servant for us too. When we have desires, and needs, He tells us to ask Him, and He will do what we ask. This is not about making demands upon God, but as a friend, we tell Him because He loves and cares for us. We can trust our friend to do what is best for us.
Jesus Christ is our friend, yet He serves all of us, and like Him, we are called to be a friend and take on the role of a servant. Being a friend of the Lord is about our identity. Servanthood is our assignment. Before the Lord, you are a friend. Before people, you are a servant. Problems and confusion arise when your servant thinking begins to have too much influence on your relationship with Him. You drift to doing tasks. Bible reading, prayer and serving others become more of a chore rather than out of love and desire for Him. Your friendship becomes about your performance and that will cause your spiritual life to become rigid, dry and it will feel like you are going through the motions. Keep in mind that from the beginning, God seeks a friendship with you and that always includes serving Him, but just being a servant does not mean you are His friend. Jesus told some who prophesied, cast out demons and did miracles, in His name that He never knew them. (See Matthew 7:21-23) They didn’t have a real relationship with Jesus. Pursue friendship with Him, and He will give you grace and wisdom to know when it is time to serve and when just to enjoy your relationship with Him.
Many Blessings, BW