Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled What a Friend was written by Patricia Raybon.

As favorite backyard neighbors, my mother and Mrs. Sanchez grew also into friendly rivals.

The two competed every Monday to be the first to hang their freshly washed laundry on their outdoor clotheslines.

She beat me again, my mother would say.

But the next week, Mama might be first, both enjoying their friendly, weekly contest.

Over 10 years of sharing a backyard alley, the two also shared each other's wisdom, stories, and hope.

The Bible speaks with great warmth about the virtue of such a friendship.

A friend loves at all times King Solomon observed in Proverbs 17. He also noted the pleasantness

of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.

Our great friend is surely Jesus.

Urging loving friendship from his disciples, he taught them in John chapter 15.

Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. The very next day, he would do just that on the cross.

He also told them, I have called you friends for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you.

Then he said, this is my command.

Love each other.

With such words, Jesus is elevating his listeners, as philosopher Nicholas Woltersdorf said,

from lowly humans to companions and confidants.

In Christ, we learn to befriend others.

What a friend to teach us such love.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from John chapter 15, verses 13 through 17.

Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command.

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