John 15 : 12 - 15
".......My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ....."
Have you done anything that you think will please your friends? Well, in real life, we all do. We buy things for them, help them out when they are in distress .....etc. The reward? None. We did so because they are our friends. The bond is sealed as that.
However, most of us are unhappy because we found that most of our friends are still not happy! It is always not easy to please others!
Jesus had made it a point to die for us, because we are His friends. He had sacrificed Himself for our sins. I believe there are many fine samples of good friends out there who emulated Jesus too.
Look at us, the so-called 'friends' of Jesus. We are not happy too, despite all what Jesus did.
My verdict?
Do all you can for your friends. Their inner feelings are theirs. Even if they did not appreciate your friendship, God knows.
Jesus taught us to be loving. We love because Jesus loves us. The spark will be passed on.
2 comments:
Doing all we can for our friends is a good thing indeed...
The real challenge is to do all we can for our enemies as well. For as Matthew 5:43-48 says:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
And I'm not preaching this to you as an expert... this is a great challenge for all of us... because it runs in direct opposition to human instinct... but we are intended to be clothed in God's character.
In fact Jesus demonstrated this in the most perfect way for Romans 5:7-10 says:
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
So Jesus practised exactly what he preached...and through his sacrifice we have the freedom to obey his commands... and by his spirit the power to do the same.
Blessings
N
wonderful blog!! keep it up!! God bless you!!
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http://leadmetothecross.blogspot.com
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