Into The Breach – How A Christian Man LovesSample

  

Day 2 — Friends of Jesus and of one another

Read: John 15:9-17

Love is the divine energy that binds the Father with Jesus and Jesus with his followers. For this reason, Jesus commands his disciples, “Remain in my love” (v. 9 NABRE). This love that binds God with humanity is not just a sentimental emotion; divine love is active, self-giving, and sacrificial, the love Jesus demonstrated throughout his life. So, the obedience demanded in the Christian life is not a grudging compliance. Keeping the commandments of Jesus is not motivated simply by a sense of obligation or fear; rather this obedience is motivated by love and its purpose is joy (vv. 10-11). This complete joy is an experience of God’s life, the kind of lasting joy that no sadness or hardship in life can take away.

Jesus describes his relationship with his disciples—rooted in divine love and destined for complete joy—as friendship (vv. 14-15). Unlike the relationship between a master and his slave, the bond between friends is honest and reciprocal. The relationship between slave and master is based on obligation and earned privileges, while friendship is rooted in freedom and generosity. A master generally tells his slaves only what they need to know to do their job, but friendship means familiarity and sharing insights. As friends of Jesus, we only have to ask for what we need from the riches of the Father’s house (v. 16 NABRE). Jesus says, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” This unearned, undeserved gift of friendship gives disciples the energy and motivation to “go and bear fruit,” to make a difference in the lives of others. 

REFLECT: In what ways does friendship with Jesus help me to be a friend to others? 

PRAY: O God, who has given us your Son to lay down his life and offer us the riches of your house, help me to accept the gift of friendship with Jesus with generous and sacrificial love.