“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 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.”
John 15:12-14 (NIV)
Laying Down Your Life
The United Nations Cemetery is located in Tanggok, a suburb of Busan, Korea. The land for the cemetery was granted to the United Nations by the Republic of Korea as a tribute to all those who had laid down their lives in combatting aggression and in upholding peace and freedom. There are 2,267 servicemen buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery. Of these 1,538 were Commonwealth soldiers, including 376 Canadians.
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We all enjoy thinking about the blessings of the Christian life. Our sins are forgiven, we are freed from fear, and are filled with hope. We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, and empowers us to live a life of holiness and purity and boldly share Jesus with those He leads us to. There are so many blessings to being a follower of Jesus. But God also calls us to a life of obedience and surrender. Listen to what Jesus says in John 15:12-14: “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. 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.” We are not saved to simply sit and soak in all the blessings that are ours in Jesus. We are called into His family in order lay down our lives for others as Jesus did. That may not mean we will actually die for others, but there are many other ways we can lay down our lives. We do that by giving of our time, our energy, and our finances to be a blessing to others, all so that they will experience Jesus through us.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley