The Universe is at Your Command
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By Jeremy Lopez
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Jesus valued friendship. In John 15:15, Jesus told His disciples, “I have called you friends.” Such a profound statement coming from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
That Jesus invited you and me into deep friendship is nothing short of miraculous! But let’s go a bit deeper and consider three lessons we can learn from His friendships.
Jesus Invited His Friends into a Secure Relationship
Psychologists teach us how important secure attachment is in forming deep relationships later in life. As our Creator, Jesus knew how important that place of secure attachment is. So He encouraged His friends to abide in Him (John 15:4). The idea behind abiding is secure attachment. As we remain closely connected to Jesus, we feel His deep love and commitment to us. When we love our friends out of the deep well of feeling loved ourselves, our friendships thrive and are more emotionally healthy.
Jesus Invited His Friends to a Relationship, Not Servitude
I love this one! Often in our own friendships, we have exorbitant expectations of our friends. This places them almost into servanthood to us. Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants!” If we’re going to follow Jesus’ example, we cannot expect our friends to meet all our needs. Only Jesus can do that. In your friendships, be careful not to place unrealistic expectations on them. Otherwise, they will likely back up.
In our own relationship with Jesus, people often confuse this. They run hard for God. They serve Him well. But they have not cultivated a deep friendship with Him. May I remind you? Jesus wants you to enjoy your friendship with Him. He’s far more interested in that than in your service for Him.
Jesus Loved Everyone but Had an Inner Circle of Three Closest Friends
Not everyone will be your bestie, and that’s okay. We are called to love everyone, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be a close friend. It’s okay to be discerning about forming that close inner circle. Those are the friends with whom you will be the most vulnerable. For Jesus, this was Peter, James, and John. He was with them at the Transfiguration (Mark 9:3–8), and He invited them into His deep sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32–52).
As you enjoy your friendships, root your security in Jesus and love your friends out of the overflow of a full heart. Don’t have exorbitant expectations of your friends and be discerning about who is in your inner circle.
Becky Harling
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