Friends
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
Have you ever had a moment when you felt like you just needed a friend? Maybe just to talk to or to help you make a decision. Maybe after you’ve had a hard day. Or maybe because you have something really exciting to talk about!
I know from personal experience that there will be days in middle school and high school when you want a friend simply because you feel like you don’t have any other friends at that moment.
Great news! You should never feel as if you don’t have a friend. This verse is wonderful because it reminds us of Christ’s love for us that he died for us. But it also is so great because Jesus refers to us as is friends. While we are also God’s children, Jesus takes this moment to remind us that we are His friends. I can’t find a translation of the Bible that uses a different word- every one I can find says “friends.”
Jesus wants us to remember Him as a friend. He wants us to talk to Him about what is going on in our lives and ask Him about important decisions. He wants us to share our joys and sorrows with Him, to ask Him for support. He wants to have our back when we need it and be the best friend we could ask for!
He also wants us to get to know all about Him, like we would get to know our friends! In the Message, this passage in John 15 goes like this: “This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.”
Jesus says that He has shown us what we need to know about Him and His father! He wants us to learn all about Him while we share our lives with Him.
So how do we do that? Well, to learn about Him, we read the Bible. Everything we need to know is written there for us to learn. The Bible is God’s end of the conversation to us. And for our end of the conversation, we use prayer. Prayer is just a fancy word for talking to God. He wants us to talk to Him- all the time and about everything!
Ask Him questions; tell Him your joys; talk to Him just like you would to any other friend. Because that’s what He is- He is and always will be our friend.