"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Having said that, he went on to demonstrate his love for his friends.'Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.'(Romans 5:7-8) We have no reason to doubt his love for us whom he had befriended because the cross is the ultimate expression of that unfailing love. He was accussed of being a 'friend of sinners' (Matthew 11:19) but he didn't mind being called thus, because he indeed loved the sinner, though he abhorred their sinful life! Let's be assured of his love, just as Paul, who called himself the 'worst of sinners' (1 Timothy 1:15), discovered: 'For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'(Romans 8:38-39) Christ's love compels us to love our friends and befriend others for Christ. "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." (Luke 16:9) Amen.
Sam Matthews. K
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