What kind of friendships do you have? Or maybe I should ask, “What kind of relationships do you have?” Do you have friends from childhood? or high school, college? Or how about adult life? Ones that pray with you? Friends that would be willing to do anything for you? Do you have that one friend that you know would lay down their life for you?
What do the following verses say about Christ’s death for us and what was the motivation behind His sacrificial death?
- John 10: 11-18
- John 12:23-24,27
- John 13: 1
- John 18:36
- Romans 5:6-8
- Ephesians 5:2
For God so loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. The counterpart to this verse comes from 1 John 3:16, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” This explains how we, the branches on the Vine, carry His sacrificial love to those around us. What does it look like for you and me to love in a sacrificial way? The way Jesus did. Throughout history, you can find stories about how there were people who did give their lives up for others. However, there are other ways to “lay down your life” for others in your life.
When we choose to forgive someone, we are doing the hard work of reconciliation on a personal level by not counting the person’s sins against them. We lay down our life along with our right to stay hurt or mad. We are killing our pride by walking out of our personal pity party. Daily we must give up our way of life, take up our cross daily, and Follow Jesus, according to Luke 9:23. This is what we must do daily as we follow Him.
Read the following verses:
- Romans 12:10-20
- Romans 15:1-2
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
- Philippians 1:15-18
- Philippians 2:1-8
- 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
- 1 Peter 4: 12-16
How are we asked to give up ourselves as we lay down our lives for others?
Have you ever been compelled to “give up” or “lay down your life” for someone else? What was hard about the experience? What helped you the most in that circumstance? What did you learn from it?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your one and only Son. Thank you for your sacrificial love for us. I pray that we will honor and love you as you do for each of us. I pray that we will be will to love the way Jesus loved us.
In Jesus Name
Amen
