Jesus said...

"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." Jn 15:14

We so often get tripped up on the 'whatever I command you' part. Read the whole passage, the whole chapter. It's not an invitation to obey His commands. It's an invitation to know Him. To be a friend of Jesus. Read it for yourself - the entire chapter talks about abiding in Jesus, about knowing Him, being with Him. It trips us up because the idea of a command is so foreign to us that we can't associate it with love. But ignore that for a second. Forget that He even mentioned the word 'command.' Hear His cry, His desire for personal closeness, to know you and to have you know Him.

And then you'll realize why Jn 15:14 makes sense. Because when you find that you'll do anything He asks without thought or hesitation, you'll know you've come to love Him as deeply as He loves you.