Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is one that causes us to pause and take stock of our own lives! 

The Fruitfulness Of Friendship

I have called you friends. — John 15:15

We never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we abandon in every particular. Self-surrender is the most difficult thing — “I will if…!” “Oh, well, I suppose I must devote my life to God.” There is none of the joy of self-sacrifice in that.

As soon as we do abandon, the Holy Spirit gives us an intimation of the joy of Jesus. The final aim of self-sacrifice is laying down our lives for our Friend. When the Holy Spirit comes in, the great desire is to lay down the life for Jesus, and the thought of sacrifice never touches us because sacrifice is the love passion of the Holy Spirit.

Our Lord is our example in the life of self-sacrifice — “I delight to do Thy will, O my God.” He went on with His sacrifice with exuberant joy. Have I ever yielded in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If Jesus Christ is not the lodestar, there is no benefit in the sacrifice; but when the sacrifice is made with the eyes on Him, slowly and surely the moulding influence begins to tell.

Beware of letting natural affinities hinder your walk in love. One of the most cruel ways of killing natural love is by disdain built on natural affinities. The affinity of the saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not sentimental, for the saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing.

“I have called you friends.” It is a friendship based on the new life created in us which has no affinity with our old life, but only with the life of God. It is unutterably humble, unsulliedly pure, and absolutely devoted to God.

AMEN! THIS should be our daily goal! Here, to help with that, are Hillsong Kids with "My Best Friend":

Shalom in Him!