“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15)

How do we show our love and friendship for Jesus? In John 15:14, Jesus points out three things we can do to show our friendship with God.

First, true friends of Jesus will obey Him. Quite simply, we will do what He says. If we don’t, then we have no right to call ourselves His friends. What kind of obedience are we talking about here? An active obedience. Some people think it’s enough if they avoid what He specifically forbids. And certainly being a Christian means ceasing to do certain things. But it also means setting out to do certain things. It’s not merely avoiding the wrong thing, but it’s doing the right thing.  How do we find out what God wants us to do? By reading the Bible and becoming familiar with its content. The more we know of this Book, the more we will know of God. The more we know of this Book, the more we will know about what He requires of us—and what friendship with God really looks like.  Lastly, true friends of Jesus obey Him continually. In other words, we are constantly obedient. Not always perfect, but always trying. And if we fail, then we repent and get up and try again.

Remember, this is Jesus who asks for our obedience. This the One who has loved us, offered His friendship to us, and laid down His life for us. We obey Him joyfully because we love Him and know how much He loves us. When we are in love with God, obedience won’t be a duty; it will be a delight. And if our Christian life has become drudgery, merely consisting of rules and regulations, then we are missing out on what friendship with God is all about.