Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13 (NIV)
Lay Down Your Life
On the Carleton University Remembrance Day webpage there is a quote from Heather Robertson’s book A Terrible Beauty, The Art of Canada at War. She writes “We must remember. If we do not, the sacrifice of those one hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions they cherished and a future they believed in; they died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness; our future is their monument.”
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There are lots of ways to express love to others, in small ways and big ways. That is most obvious in a healthy, godly marriage, our most intimate human relationship. Earlier this week we focused on Paul’s call for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church – He laid down His life for us and we husbands are called to do that for our wives. Jesus taught this principle in a much broader sense. In John 15:13 he says “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” In Jesus’ case, He would go on to do this literally – willingly laying down His life on a cross, bearing our sin and shame. While most of us won’t be called to literally lay down our lives, we are called to lay down our time, our resources, our energy, for others. There is so much selfishness in this world, and that has become even more obvious through the pandemic. We who follow Christ are called to lay down our rights and privileges for others. How can you show “no greater love” for others today?
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley