"I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you"

Scripture: John 15:9-17
Paul the Apostle tells us that we can abound in hope and joy because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us (Romans 5:5). God's love has power to transform and change us so that we can be like him – merciful, kind, gracious, and forgiving. In God's love we find the fulness of grace, peace, life and joy. That is why Jesus came to give us abundant life through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment – a new way of loving and serving one another. Jesus' love was wholly directed toward the good of others. He love them for their sake and for their welfare. That is why he layed down his own life for us to free us from sin, death, fear, and every thing that could hold us back from the love of God. We are to love others as Jesus has loved us. What is the essence of this new commandment? True love is sacrificial. It gives all to the beloved. It holds nothing back. It is wholly directed towards the good of another. There is no greater proof in love than the sacrifice of one's life for the sake of another. Jesus proved his love for his disciples by giving his life for them, even to death on the cross. We prove our love for God and for one another when we embrace the way of the cross.