Friends forever

“‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.’ If I am a friend of Jesus Christ, I lay down my life for Him. That does not mean that I go through the big crisis of death; it means that I lay down my life deliberately as I would lay out a pound note. I have this to lay out and expend; I have a day before me, and I am going to lay it out for Jesus Christ; I have my duty to perform but I am going to lay it out in devotion to Jesus Christ al through. It is difficult, and thank God it is difficult. Salvation is easy because it cost God so much, but the manifestation of it in my life is difficult. God does expect a man to be a man. God saves a man and endues him with His Holy Spirit, and says in effect, “Now it is up to you to prove it, work it out; be loyal to Me while the nature of things round about you would make you disloyal. I have called you friends, now stand loyal to your Friend.” His honor is at stake in our bodily life.”

Oswald Chambers, “The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers,” Discovery House Publishers 2000, p. 1030