I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS
Devotional for May 6, 2018 based upon John 15: 9-17

On the eve of His crucifixion Jesus gave an astonishing invitation. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I do not call you servants any longer. I have called you friends.” At the cross Jesus laid down His life not primarily for His followers, students, or servants. Rather Jesus laid down His life for His friends.

Now if I were to guess what kind of word Jesus would use to describe me, I would probably come up with words like “follower,” “servant,” “student,” or “disciple.” But “friend”? That is not a word I would have expected. But Jesus’ invitation here is to something far more – something far better – than we ever would have expected. Jesus invites us to be His friends.

What does it look like to be Jesus’ friend? Here are seven characteristics of a true friend. Jesus more than fulfills each of those characteristics in His friendship with us.

First, A FRIEND ALWAYS LOVE YOU. Proverbs 17: 17 says, “A friend loves at all times.”

Second, A FRIEND ALWAYS STICKS BY YOU. Even though the disciples were riddled with shortcomings, Jesus always stood by them. He stood by them, even when they did not stand by Him. He focused on His love for them rather than on their falling short for Him.

Third, FRIENDS SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON. Proverbs 27: 17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another.” Friends bring out the very best in each other. Which, admittedly, is not always easy. Sparks fly when iron sharpens iron. But it is worth the discomfort. A true friend challenges you to move forward – to step out of your comfort zone and pursue God’s greatest purposes for your life.

Fourth, A FRIEND WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH. Proverbs 27: 6 says, “Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” Jesus was a consummate truth teller. He never spared any punches when it came to telling it like it is. He was far more concerned about conveying truth than about being considered “nice.” With straightforward honesty, he sought change in those He cared about. In the words of last Sunday’s Gospel, He pruned His branches because of His love.

Fifth, A FRIEND IS INTERESTED IN WHAT INTERESTS YOU. Philippians 2: 4 says, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but instead to the interests of others.” Jesus always engaged people at their point of interest. Looking at Jesus as our friend will affect what we talk about with Him. If we see Him primarily as our teacher, then we will bring to Him our questions. If we see Him primarily as our master, then we will bring to Him our lists of completed assignments. But if we see Him as our friend, we will feel free to talk with Him about anything. Seeing Him as our friend will change the way we pray.

Sixth, A FRIEND OPERATES ACCORDING TO YOUR SCHEDULE OF NEED. Real friends are there for you when you need them, even when it is inconvenient. Jesus was that kind of a friend. Romans 5: 6 and 8 say, “While we were weak, Christ died for the ungodly. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Ephesians 2: 5 says it even more strongly. “When we were dead through our trespasses, He made us alive.” When we needed Him the most – even before we knew we needed Him – even before we knew Him – Jesus already was our true and faithful friend.

Seventh, A FRIEND IS A PART OF YOUR LIFE. Jesus said in John 10: 10, “I came that (you) might have life and might have it abundantly.”

But in our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday Jesus gives an even more astonishing characteristic of a true friend. John 15: 13 – “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” It was at the time when He was on His way to the Garden of Agony and the Hill of Crucifixion that He said this. He said it when He was about to lay His life down for His friends.

A Savior is someone you need. A King is someone you obey. Jesus is certainly our Savior and King. But here Jesus is saying that He wants us to be His friends. A friend is someone you know and love.

We all long for a relationship like that. We all long for a relationship with someone who will love us and understand us and challenge us to reach our full potential. We all long for someone who will encourage us in our dreams, confront us in our foolishness, strengthen us in our times of insecurity, and guide us in our moments of boldness.

Jesus wants to be that kind of friend for you. He does not call you merely to be His servant to come before His throne on occasion for a new list of assignments. Rather He calls you to be His friend. The Christian life is not so much about working harder as it is about coming closer to Jesus, the perfect friend.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Do you know Jesus as your friend, who laid down His life for you?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the
praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. For He
established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our
fathers that they should teach them to their children,” (Psalm 78:4-5)

Tell your children. Warn them of the way of the wicked and tell them. As with all of us, the
Lord knows who are His and it is upon Him to reach to those who will be reached, but tell your
children. The Lord is always worthy of being praised and the devil will do whatever he can to
convince us otherwise. Every generation should proclaim a testimony for the Lord and His
goodness.

Lord, you know the difficulties of every time and place. Guide me O Lord to humbly walk in
Your ways, speak Your praises and live according to Your Word. Let my life be a testimony of
the truth You have given me that I may walk in Your ways all the days of my life. Lead me
according to Your purpose that I may be the light shining Your presence and goodness to others.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world. You have come to show the way for any who receive the
testimony of truth You give. Let Your light shine through me that I may speak not only to my
children, but to all who will become Your children. Lead me in the life You would have me
live that I may forever praise You in thankfulness for the goodness You have bestowed upon
Your children. Amen.

“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.” (Psalm 78:1-3)

In parables which speak to all people in all places and at all times the Lord will give instruction which transcends languages and barriers. The Lord has given instruction and has prepared the way for all who will trust Him to come in faith and know that He is God. Be led by the Spirit and know that the One who has come, came to lead all who will listen as He instructs.

Lord, there is nothing new under the sun. You who know all things knows the plans You have for us. You created us to walk in Your love and to live according to what You have established from long ago. Guide me, O Lord, to walk according to Your ways that I may have peace with You my God and live in the grace You give to enable me to receive the message of everlasting life.

Lord Jesus, You who came in the flesh spoke in parables that all might understand. You have laid down the principles of eternity and have given them to us as Scripture said You would. Help me receive the message You have given that I may walk now and forever under Your guidance. Lift me up to see in You not only the hope, but the reality of a life to be lived that I may walk with You my God always. Amen.

“Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, and Your footprints may not be known. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Psalm 77:19-20)

Who can know the ways of the Lord or the paths which He uses? Who knows the mind of God? He leads those who will follow where He leads. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, the wind blows where it will and where it comes from or where it is going we do not know. But the Lord will lead those who will follow where He leads. Come then to the Lord and be one who is led by Him.

Lord, in my mind I want to know all things before I will believe, yet I cannot believe until I trust that what You say is true. Clear my heart of the doubts and fears of this world in order to come to the place where I trust in You and all that You have promised. Lead the footsteps I take to be those that follow You. Guide me, O Lord, in the way I should go that I may walk in Your ways always.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead the way,  for You are the way of everlasting life. Help me see more clearly that You who is forever know from whence You came and where You are leading that I may know the way to go. Lead me to trust in You always and help me overcome those times of doubt and mistrust. You are God and I have been created by You. You know me better that I myself. Help me always. Amen.

“The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth a sound; Your arrows flashed here and there. The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.” (Psalm 77:17-18)

Does the Lord control the weather? Does the Lord control what happens in the earth? He made everything and all is His. Know that all things are in the Lord’s hands and our egos will never prevail over the Lord. He is the One through whom all things have their being and the One who made all things has always held all things in His hands. Come then to the One who has all things in His hands and know His love.

Lord, the world says we have power over things. Yes, we influence and our sin has damaged, but You O Lord are Sovereign over all things. Lead my heart away from the egotism of this age to see that there is nothing we can do to overcome Your sovereignty. Guide me in the way You would have me go that I would forever know Your goodness and mercy and live in Your love.

Lord Jesus, You did not come into the world to judge the world, for the world is already judged. You came that we might have life and light and walk humbly with You, our God and Savior. Lead me then in the way You would have me go knowing that all things are in Your hands. Help me now and always to see in You the hope of glory that You have brought through Your salvation. Amen.

“You have by Your power redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were in anguish; the deeps also trembled.” (Psalm 77:15-16)

The people have been brought out of turmoil and trouble and have been given what they need. But the people rebel and do what is right in their eyes and what happens is of their own making; but God is blamed. The anguish of this age is that which we have brought upon ourselves. God rescues those who turn to Him. It is a redemption of preparation brought through repentance.

Lord, I may not have caused all the evil that comes in my life, but I have caused enough, some of which others pay for. Help me see that You are the God who rescues, but when we rebel and push You away, You are the God that watches. It is love that You give and love that You desire. Lead me away from myself to come into the love You give for all eternity to those who walk with You.

Jesus, You know the anguish of this age, for You lived it. You loved us so much that You came to pay the price we could not pay for the sins You did not commit that we who have rebelled against You might come with You into eternity. Guide me, my Savior, in the way I should go always that I would forever hold fast to the truth of the love offered for redemption. Amen.

“Your way, O God, is holy; what god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.” (Psalm 77:13-14)

We humans need to be reminded that we are not the center of existence. The gods we create are nothing. The God who created everything is the center of all. We are called to look to Him and know that He who made all things looks at us and desires that we learn to love Him as He loves us. He is our rock and strength. He is gentle and patient, loving and kind. Come to the Lord and see.

Lord I am wrapped up in my own mind and my attention span is so short. One minute I am here and the next minute I am there. Clear my mind and help me focus that I would learn the simple truth that You are God and there is no other. Lead me away from the sinfulness of this world and into Your presence, living according to Your never-failing Word which You have given.

Lord Jesus, You have come humbly into the world and invited as many as believe to join You. Guide me in Your way of grace this day to learn once again that You through whom all things have been made have called me to come to You and live as life was meant to be lived. In praise and thanksgiving, may my life be given back to You to walk humbly in Your ways all the days of my life. Amen.

“There is salvation in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Think of the person whom you love the most in this life (I mean other than the three persons of the holy Trinity).

Think of that person’s history (birth, family, friendships, work), interests and likes (kite-flying, apple pie), and ways of acting (the way he walks, the sound of her voice).  In your mind’s eye, trace the contours of your loved one’s face, or the feel of his or her touch, or how your loved one fills a room.

Can you ignore all of those things, or not care about them, and still love that person?

See, here’s the deal with God: He became flesh.  He became Jesus.  He just did—it’s His history.  He spoke and did things after His birth that are also part of His history, and that reveal His character and way of being.  And now God has raised this Jesus from the dead.  No one else lives as Jesus lives.  It simply is.

Can we love God and ignore who He is?  If salvation is life with God, how could we possibly have it without Him?

LET US PRAY: Thank you, dear God, for Your own dear self, in the body and the blood, bearing the name of Jesus.  In You I have received life, for You are life—blessed be Your Name forever!  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

“I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds.” (Psalm 77:11-12)

Look to the Lord and see all that He has done. He who fashioned the heavens and the earth and filled them with all things also watches over you and all that He has created. Look to the Lord and know that in Him is light and life. Meaning is found in the Lord, for apart from Him is nothingness. Be guided by the Lord and know that He will bring you to be where He is.

Lord, I get caught up in all of the things life throws my way and do not see clearly that it is Your hand that sustains all things. Lead me, O Lord, to humbly walk with You that I may see that it is You who causes all things to be what and where they are. Clear my mind that I may learn to meditate upon all that You have said. Bring to remembrance Your Word that I may see Your message more clearly each day.

Christ the Savior, You are the message for all who meditate and turn to truth. You have come, for You alone know the way. Only You who has descended can ascend to heaven. Lead me to follow You all the days of my life knowing that You alone have the words of eternal life. Grant that I may boldly hold fast to You, the way, the truth and the life and not waiver, stumble nor fall away. Amen.

THE BLESSINGS OF ABIDING
Devotional for April 29, 2018 based upon John 15: 1-8

Our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday is part of Jesus’ final words to His disciples on the night when He was betrayed. After supper they must have passed through a vineyard on their way to the Mount of Olives. Jesus stops. The disciples gather around Him. He reaches for a branch and begins, “I am the vine, and My Father is the vinegrower.” Then He begins to talk about grapes and branches. It certainly was not what His friends had expected to hear, especially after having been told that one of them would betray Him. But at this moment Jesus chooses to reveal to them what their Heavenly Father wants for them and how He has been at work in their lives to bring it about. And I believe that Jesus was also thinking about you and me that night. For God is at work in our lives, too, to bring about what He wants to see come from our lives. So let’s look at what He is saying.

Jesus is the vine, the trunk that grows out of the ground and ends in a large gnarl from which the branches grow in either direction along the trellis. The Father is the vinegrower, the keeper of the vineyard who coaxes from the plants the largest, juiciest, and most grapes possible. We are the branches – the focus of the vinegrower’s efforts – because it is the branches that produce the fruit. Here Jesus is distinguishing between four different kinds of branches – those that produce no fruit, some fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. How much fruit do you see in your life today? Are you satisfied with that level of fruit? How can all of us live a life that is more fruitful for God?

First, NO FRUIT. Some Christians live lives that produce nothing of eternal consequence. Jesus describes these people when He says, “Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He removes.” This is a person who is connected to Christ – a branch that is connected to the vine – but is producing no fruit over a period of time. Most Bible translations use words like “he removes” and “he cuts off” to describe what the vinegrower does to that part of the vine. But I have read that the Greek verb can also be translated, “he lifts up.”

The vinegrower leans over to lift up the branch that is trailing down and growing along the ground, because branches do not bear any fruit down there. The leaves on branches that grow along the ground get coated with dirt. When it rains, they get muddy and mildewed. They become sick and unproductive. But they are too precious just to cut off and throw away. So the vinegrower goes through the vineyard with a bucket of water, looking for branches like that. He lifts them up, washes them off, and then wraps them around the trellis or ties them up. Soon they are thriving once again.

For the Christian, sin is like that dirt covering the leaves so that air and light cannot get in. The vinegrower will use even painful measures if necessary to bring us to repentance, because His purpose is to cleanse us and free us of sin so that we can live lives that are productive for Him. God loves you so much that He will take whatever measures He needs to to correct you. He will even bring or allow pain into your life to get your attention and to bring about the needed change. So if you are down in the dirt, do not stay there a minute longer. Thank God for the way He is intervening in your life. It is His love for you that motivates Him to discipline you. And He will raise the stakes if He has to. One day you will look back on your determination to stay in the dirt and wonder why you resisted your Heavenly Father for so long.

Second, SOME FRUIT. What does the Heavenly Father do when the branch looks pretty good – it is covered with leaves – yet it is not producing much fruit? Jesus said, “Every branch that bears fruit He prunes to make it bear more fruit.”

If your life is bearing some fruit, God will intervene to prune you. Left to itself, a branch will always prefer producing leaves over grapes. So the vinegrower must cut away any unnecessary shoots, no matter how vigorous, because the vine’s purpose is to produce not leaves but grapes.

For the Christian, a vigorous growth of leaves represents all the preoccupations and priorities in our lives which, while not wrong, are keeping us from being more productive for God. Without pruning, we will live up to only a fraction of our potential.

The expert pruner removes what is dead, dying, and not fruit producing so that the sunlight can get to the branches that are bearing fruit. In the same way our Heavenly Father wants to cut away from our lives those things that drain precious time and energy away from that which is truly important. In pruning, God asks you to let go of those things that keep you from your ultimate good. But pruning is cutting, and cutting always hurts.

If you feel that God is pruning you, ask Him to show you what it is that He wants you to let go of, and then trust Him enough to release it completely to Him. You might be looking down the fence line of your life and seeing all your favorite branches being hacked away. You might be saying, “God, I never asked for the shears.” You might be wondering what He will do next. He loves you so much that He will not stop tending your life. What God asks of you may seem difficult and demanding. But the results, if you say yes, will be more than you could have ever asked for.

Third, MORE FRUIT. In mature pruning – the kind of pruning that produces more fruit – God’s shears cut even closer to the core of who we are. In mature pruning, God is not just taking away. Rather He is faithfully at work in our lives to make room for more strength, productivity, and spiritual power. Where does it hurt in your life today? That could be where God’s shears are at work. Pain always comes when shears are snipping. How is God shaping and directing you so that He can strengthen you for the season of abundance that He has in mind for you?

Fourth, MUCH FRUIT. I see Jesus leaning forward and placing His fingers at the point where the trunk divides into branches. “Abide in Me, as I abide in you,” He says. And then, directing His disciples’ attention to the branch that is swelling with the promise of a great harvest, He adds, “Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing.”

He points to the place where trunk meets branches. That is where the abiding happens. That is the connecting point, through which the life-giving nutrients flow. Many times Jesus uses the word “abide.” You can feel His passion. He is about to leave His friends. And yet He is saying, “We must stay together.”

Abiding is all about the most important relationship in your life. It is not primarily about how well you know the Bible or how many church committees you are on or even how many good things you do. Rather it is about how much you long for and thirst for a relationship with God. Abiding means wanting and having more of God in your life. More of God in your activities, thoughts, and desires. It means enjoying His company.

So what season of life are you in? If you are in the SEASON OF DISCIPLINE, the Vinegrower is kneeling down beside you, reaching down to intervene in your life. He wants to lift you up and bring you back to fruitfulness. He does not see you as a chronic loser, but as a precious branch that is only one choice away from a better life.

If you are in the SEASON OF PRUNING, the Vinegrower is standing beside you, wielding some rather serious-looking shears. His face conveys delight and anticipation as He carefully and purposefully snips away unwanted, unproductive shoots. He is impressed with your energy and promise.

If you are in the SEASON OF ABIDING, the Vinegrower is learning against a nearby trellis, looking at you with great pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. The huge clusters of grapes that are crowding your branch are exactly what He had in mind for you since you first sprouted from the vine.

Know for sure that God will always be at work in your life. He can use you no matter what season you are in. His plans for you are unique and suited specifically for you. It’s never too late to begin bearing fruit. He wants you to participate in the joy of an abundant harvest.

What Jesus said to His friends that night in the vineyard, He is also saying to you “so that (His) joy may be in you, and so that your joy may be complete.”

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE