Good morning everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”
Our Bible verse for today: “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I commanded you.” John 15:13-14 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Serve Him with your life.”
In John 15:13 Jesus wasn’t necessarily talking about physically dying for someone. He made that clear in verse 14. Instead, He was calling His followers to lay out their lives for Him in big ways and in small. “You are My friends if you do what I commanded you.”
What are the things He commanded us to do? To care for the sick and the needy; to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit those in prison. He commanded us to live lives worthy of God and to be His witnesses in places near and far. He wants us to give our hearts completely and without reservation to God.
When Jesus speaks of someone laying down their life for a friend the friend He was referring to was Himself. He calls us to lay it out there, all of it on the line, in big ways and in small, for the sake of His Kingdom. Oswald Chambers explained it this way:
“God saves a man and endues him with His Holy Spirit, and says in effect, ‘Now it is up to you to prove it, work it out; be loyal to Me while the nature of things round about you would make you disloyal. I have called you friends, now stand loyal to Your Friend.” Chambers concludes: “His honor is at stake in our bodily life.”
Doing the things Jesus commanded us to do is frequently not easy or convenient. But this is where the rubber meets the road; it is the real test of discipleship. Will I lay my life down for Him in a thousand different ways, big and small, on a daily basis? “You are My friend if you do what I commanded you.”
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 