"Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14).
"Ye are My friends." Wonderful words! How deeply searching! A friend is one who is worthy to be trusted. Is this true of us? The blessed Lord is our Friend — a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and "who loves at all times." Never a moment when we may not trust him with every secret of our lives, He has proved Himself to be trustworthy, for He laid down His life for us. O wonderful love, passing all bounds of human thought!
But can He trust us? Are we really His friends? "If ye do whatsoever I commend you." This is the proof. Not doing what we think, but what He commands. And He has said, "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me." There is no such thing as knowing the Master's mind apart from the intimacy of communion. This involves separation from this world and its ways, and nothing but His love can draw us to Himself. As we are thus drawn our hearts will be closed against every other voice, and in the solitude of His presence we shall learn His secrets and get His commands.
How dear to the Lord's heart must the gospel be! His last moments with His loved disciples ere going back to His Father are occupied in commanding them to sound it forth, "Thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations."
The first moments of the Holy Ghost's presence here on earth were employed in sweeping into the circle of blessing thousands of souls. Those disciples, in fervent love to their Lord and Master, began to fulfil His command that day. Empowered by the Spirit of God, they proved themselves to be His friends, worthy to be trusted with the precious gospel. But how do we stand? The gospel is just as dear to the Lord's heart as ever, and the power of the Holy Ghost is just as great. But are we proving ourselves to be His friends in this line of His work? If we are near to Him we shall. Andrew went and found his own brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. The woman of Sychar went forth eagerly to bring others to the One in whose company she had been. Had the apostles held their peace it would never have been recorded that "they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
Oh that we may be so near Him that what is dear to HIS heart may be dear to ours, and that we, by His grace, may prove ourselves to be His friends, doing His commands.