Evendays

Friendships are costly

John 15.13-15: Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 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.

Jesus was a friend because he shared what was at the heart of his person, what was between him and the father. He shared his mission. And he set obedience as the condition of friendship with him. He was able to ask for obedience because he was obedient in his mission.

Greater love has no-on than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus not only left the complete context of perfect friendship with the Father for earthly existence, he gave the greatest love: he gave his life.

1 Peter 4.8-10: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

How do you love others? How do you lay down you life?

• You forgive others’ sin;
• You willingly open your home to others;
• You serve others with the gifts God has given you.

Friendships are costly. Just listen to C. S. Lewis’ words in the Four Loves:

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal… Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.