Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 NIV (The Greatest Love)
When I was a child, my mother demonstrated that love is an action. She taught that love, the feeling, was not the greatest love. As a good mother should, she impressed me with her understanding of love as an act of sacrifice and devotion. Years later, I saw the same active love in my wife as she cared for our girls.
Most parents know that loving their children requires making a lot of sacrifices. Our heavenly Father made the most loving sacrifice of all. He gave his only son on the cross so that you and I could be saved. As we read in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV”
He Died to Save Us
Jesus knew that he would have to lay down his life for those of us who believe in him to be saved. He was preparing his disciples for his arrest and subsequent death. Humble and kind, the Lord called his disciples friends. Jesus knew that they, and eventually we, would continue his ministry in his name as the body of Christ.
The greatest love is the love Jesus demonstrated on the cross. We serve a Lord that loves us so much that he was willing to die in our place. In doing so, Christ demonstrated God’s mercy for all repentant sinners. Thanks to Jesus, those of us who believe and are obedient to the will of God are free of guilt and shame. When we love others the way he loves us, the world is transformed by the sacrificial love of God through Jesus Christ.
Prayer: “Father God, lead me to live life by your will and not my own. Give me the strength and good courage to follow the example of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Soar Like Eagles
