"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend." . . . "I have called you friends." John 15:13, 15

12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command.

Jesus is not commanding us to die for our friends, he is commanding us to lay down our lives. Laying down our lives is giving up control of our lives to him through service to our friends.

Sometimes, dying is the easier thing to do for God. It is the daily laying down of our lives that is sometimes the hardest thing to do. If we are the friends of God, we will do what he commands, and what he commands is this: Love each other as I have loved you.