Greater love has no one than
this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends….I have called you friends…
—John 15:13, 15
“Jesus does not ask me to die
for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. […] Has the Lord ever asked you,
“Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to
die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high
calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we
have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. […] “By this we know
love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Yet it is contrary to our human nature
to do so.[…] Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the
exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him
with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, “Now you work it out in your
life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is
to cause you to be unfaithful.”” CHAMBERS
I have often used John 15:13 to describe the military
life. Everyone in the military takes an
oath of loyalty and commitment. Not only
do they forsake their non-military life and culture, but they are willingly to place
themselves in harm’s way. Why? For their country and countrymen. As a
Christian, you are called to a similar life.
To forsake what you were, your devotions, your primary allegiances to
family and culture, and give them to God.
That is what it means to love God with “all” (Matthew 22:37). Do you recall when someone told Jesus that his
mother Mary and his brothers were at the door wanting to see Him? (Matthew 12:46-50) “While Jesus was
still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to
speak to him. Someone told him, “Your
mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied
to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples,
he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”” What is up with that? Did Jesus not love Mary, his mother anymore? One of His final acts hanging on the cross was
to charge her care to John. (John 19:26-27) But His view was not
focused on the human condition, but rather on eternal things.
Laying your life down means
abandoning earthly affections in favor of heavenly ones. That doesn’t just happen. It takes determination to not look back with
longing or to once again indulge in the “pleasures” and habits of the old
life. In Philippians, Paul wrote “Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians
3:12-14) We all would do well to follow his lead. CHARLEY
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