Friends

Read: John 15:9-17

[Jesus said,] “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves.” John 15:14-15

IN WORD

God wants more than servants. It’s true He is worthy of our unequivocal service; we owe Him our entire lives. But He didn’t create human beings in His image simply so we could carry out orders. Angels and any number of unknown creatures could do that (Psalm 103:20-21). No, He wants a relationship founded in love and reciprocated by hearts like His. We may serve Him, but we aren’t simply servants. Jesus calls us friends.

That’s one of the many features that makes the Kingdom of God an extraordinary environment. All Kingdom citizens are friends with the King. It isn’t an equal friendship, of course, but there are times in Scripture when God treats it as though it is. He gave Abraham the right to negotiate with Him and called him “friend,” wrestled with Jacob, spoke face to face with Moses as with a friend, and let David speak to Him in intimate terms and even argue with Him at times. The Potter and the clay, the Shepherd and the sheep, the Master and the servant . . . these are true illustrations of our relationship with God, but they aren’t sufficient. By themselves, they are too impersonal. Clearly God wants the kind of relationship where hearts connect and converse and exchange ideas and desires and dreams.

IN DEED

Don’t squander that relationship. We all need to learn to serve well, but God doesn’t leave you strictly in the role of servant. He is calling you higher. It’s entirely possible that when you are most focused on obedience, He is trying to draw you into a deeper conversation on more intimate terms. Express your heart to Him and listen to His. Ask Him what His deepest desires are—for your life and for those around you. Like John at the Last Supper, lean against Jesus and listen to His whispers. He shares confidential information with those who have learned to love Him well. In so doing, you begin to fulfill your original design as one made in His image. You step into the relationship you were designed for.

ADDITIONAL READING: James 2:23

What brings joy to the heart is not so much the friend’s gift as the friend’s love.

AELRED OF RIEVAULX