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THE KING’S BUSINESS
sion-and not found in the best Greek texts, nevertheless it is implied. “ The things which I command you” include all things which He commands, but there is some thing that He commands which we are unwilling to do. If we do not do it we are not friends o f Jesus. But when we make a full surrender to Him and stand ready to do anything that He commands, He no longer calls us servants—it would be an honor to be called even that—but no, He will not call us that, He calls us by that wonderfully significant name, “ friends,” i.e., loved ones. And when we are thus admitted to the circle o f His friends He declares to us the richest secret o f His thought, “All things that I h^ard from my Father I have made known unto you.” Our being friends o f Jesus, however, does not begin with our choice o f Him for a friend,' but with His choice o f us for friends. He chose us, we did not chopse Him. And having chosen us He ordains us with a higher and holier ordination than ever came from hands o f bishop or Pres bytery. That ordination is not to salvation and heaven apart from what we do, or what we become, it is a far nobler ordination than that, it is an ordination 'to fruitfulness in H is service. But in order to bear fruit we must “go." A h ! so many o f us wish to bear fruit but we do not wish to “g o ;” we wish to stay right here where we are and where our earthly friends are. And where should we go? Wherever He sends, even though it be to the uttermost part o f the earth (Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:19). The fruit that He appoints us to bear is abiding, eter nally abiding, fruit that never withers. With fruitfulness comes power in prayer. It is -when we go, and when we bear fruit, that whatsoever we ask o f the Father in His name the Father gives us (v. 16). W e do well to let these words sink into our hearts also, for in them is the secret o f many an unanswered prayer. Many a one is praying, and praying in the name o f Christ, but he has not gone at His command and has not borne the fruit that Christ appointed him to bear, therefore his prayers are
law given through Moses is not the stan dard o f conduct for the believer in Christ; he has a higher standard. The standard for the believer is Christ H im self: we are .to love just as He loved. How much He lqved us is defined and described in verse 13, He laid down His life for us. No greater love than that is possible. Some one may say it is greater love to lay down one’s life for one’s enemies than to lay down one’s -life for one’s friends, but no, it is no greater love, it is simply the-same degree o f love shown toward another object. Jesus laid down His life fan His enemies, but that is not mentioned here because He is talking . to His “ friends” and setting up His love to them as the standard and inspiration of love to one another. Verses 12 and 13 are - closely connected with verse 11. The full ness o f joy that verse 11 describes, Christ’s own joy, is found in the life o f love. Love is joy, supreme joy, supreme selfishness is supreme misery. Thursday, August 3. John 15:14 -17. . Jesus has opened to us the privilege o f friendship with Himself. What more exafted honor could there be than to be a friend of Jesus. How. to be friends He tells us in verse 14. There is but one way to be a friend o f Jesus, that is by doing the things which He commands. W e do well to ponder deeply the “ if” in this verse, “Ye are my friends, IF ye do the things which I command you.” Ask yourself, am I a friend of Jesus? I f you are doing the things which He commands you, you are. I f you are not doing the things which He com mands you you are not. No professions of loyalty to Him, no orthodoxy o f creed, no raptures of experience, will make you a friend o f Jesus. Just simple, homely, every day obedience in all works o f life, to His will as He has expressed it in His word. This, and this alone, makes us friends of Jesus. And« we are not only to do the things wliich He commands, but we are to do all the things which He commands. Though the “whatsoever” o f the Authorized Version is not found in the Revised Ver
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