John 15:13–17

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.

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Jesus told the disciples that He had not called them servants, but He had called them friends. He continued to say that they had not chosen Him, but He had chosen them. As the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus made an important contrast between Himself and Saul, the first monarch of Israel. Despite the prophet Samuel’s objections, the Israelites picked Saul to be their king. They reaped the consequences of Saul’s actions and the servitude he brought. Jesus reversed the situation by choosing the disciples and making them His friends.

Psychological research suggests that stable, healthy friendships are crucial for our well-being and longevity. For instance, studies show that people who have friends and close confidants are less likely to suffer from depression, better respond to stress, and exhibit higher motivation, reward, identity, and sensory processing functions. One study suggests that blood pressure reactivity is lower when we talk to a supportive friend than someone about whom we feel ambivalent.

If the supportive friends we have on earth can significantly improve our well-being, how much more can Jesus, our heavenly Father and friend, do so? Let us develop this friendship we have with Him by talking to Him, allowing Him to speak to us, and doing what He calls us to do.

That concludes our devotional for today. Let us finish with a word of prayer. 

WORD OF PRAYER

Lord, we thank You for the profound gift of friendship that You offer us. You have not called us servants but friends, revealing the depths of Your plans and purposes to us. Help us to appreciate the privilege of being chosen by You and to live out the command to love one another as You have loved us. May we continually seek to deepen our relationship with You, understanding that our friendship with You is the foundation for producing lasting fruit in our lives. Teach us to rely on You in all things, knowing that through Your name, we can ask for what we need and You will provide. Let our lives reflect Your love and grace to others. 

In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen.