The Friendship of Christ
ICS Daily Devotions
John 15:13 (NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
As believers, you and I have a friend in Jesus. In John Chapter 15, Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and the branches to illustrate our connectivity with Him and the importance of abiding in Him and His Word to bear fruit. We also need to remind ourselves that God works through covenant relationships, and we are connected with a more powerful friend than ourselves in this friendship. Just like we need to take the initiative to update our earthly friends regularly to maintain our friendships, we also need to intentionally and constantly connect with God because He won’t impose it on us.
Friends are part of God’s design for our lives, and a community of believing friends is one of the best protections against temptation and ungodliness. God never intended for us to isolate ourselves from others. It is unhealthy to be alone because isolation and loneliness make our minds vulnerable to becoming the devil’s workshop. Therefore, it is always good to have a community, better still, a community of believers to spur us on.
There are many kinds of friends, from lifelong friends to acquaintances, and the depths of our communications with them will vary accordingly. Nonetheless, even with our lifelong friends, with whom we may have no inhibitions regarding what to share, what they can do for us is still very limited compared to our friendship with Jesus Christ. Lifelong friends might do something within their ability for us when needed, but Christ did and still does far more. Jesus willingly laid down His life for us so that we could have our sins forgiven, our souls made righteous, and have a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we were still in our sins, Jesus died for our sins so that He could be our lifelong close friend, one who sticks closer than a brother.
To have a close relationship with God and to bear fruit, we must abide in Him, and His Word in us. However, it is our choice, but a wise choice indeed. Because Jesus cares for us, we should cast all our cares upon Him as we intentionally and purposefully live out our lives for Him. As we live a missional life to make Him known to the people around us, we are bearing fruit that will last forever. While we should do well in our jobs and businesses, it must not be apart from making Him known by sharing the gospel, and our lives can truly be a testimony when we have joy and peace amid difficult times. Therefore, let us continue to abide in Jesus, and let His Word abide in us because apart from Him, we can do nothing.
Sermon Series: Friends of God
