The Gift of Friendship

In John 15:12-14 Jesus says: 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. (ESV)

Are we laying down our lives for our friends? Are we doing what Christ commanded? Are we loving our friends as Christ loves us? These can be hard questions to answer. Perhaps we need to extend ourselves some grace for past failures, and commit again to following in Christ’s steps for today.

I have some AMAZING friends! They do the things Jesus said in this passage from the Gospel of John.  They love unashamedly, they give of their time, their resources, and their very lives, and with God’s help they follow His commandments. 

My friends are teaching me about what Christ meant when He said to lay down our lives. They show through their words and actions how great is the love the Father has lavished upon them. They want to share that love with others - even with me. After several years of having very few close friends, God has lavished me with friendship these past few years. These friends hold me up in prayer during tough times, and they rejoice with me when I rejoice. I want to be more like my friends, because they reflect Jesus. I want to be that same kind of friend in return. I know I often fail at this, yet they forgive me my faults, and we continue on as friends. As I told my daughters yesterday: Being true friends doesn't mean you won't disagree or have a fight, it means you'll forgive one another when that happens, and still be friends.

True friendship is such a great gift, take the time to tell your friends how much they mean to you, you will both be glad you did!