Settling for Ordinary

John 15:13-14 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

What a Friend we have in Jesus... A Friend who proved His friendship and love for us, on the cross. What have we done to prove our friendship and love for Him? Are we taking up our cross daily and denying self (Matthew 16:24-26)? Are we laying down on the altar and offering up our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2)? Are we proving our love by obeying His commandments (to love God with our entire being, and love our neighbor as ourselves; Luke 10:27 & John 14:15)? What is lacking in our friendship with the One who should always have the place in our life of being our Best Friend? Oftentimes, what lacks in our relationship and friendship with Jesus is faith (Hebrews 11:6). We are too busy trying to direct the Lord in how we think our relationship should be, and thereby think that we can also convince the Lord that our plan for our life is somehow better than the plan He already has. You see, the plan we have takes less faith. It keeps us in our comfort zone and allows us to choose when we should sacrifice something, or not sacrifice anything at all. Sadly, all we end up accomplishing, at best, is wasted years, missed opportunities, and missed blessings. A true friendship with Jesus will bring us to a place where we live an abundant life (John 10:10). I am not talking about prosperity or "name it claim it". I am talking about a life of real intimacy that gives us the strength to move mountains by faith. I am talking about an intimacy that give us the courage, in Christ, to face whatever giants God allows to challenge us, knowing He is with us and will give us the ultimate victory. I am talking about a life lived by faith that will take us to where we could never take ourselves by doing things our own way. It is time to put aside the superficial relationship with Jesus that we use to make others think that we have this deep, intimate, relationship with God. It is time that we seriously seek true friendship with the One who calls us friends, and trade our ordinary, everyday, existence for a supernaturally intimate friendship with the One who already proved His friendship and love for us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).