Sometimes, laying down means standing up
As Christians, how many times have we heard the verse, "Greater love has no one that this: that he lay his life down for his friends. (John 15:13)"? Most often, that verse is used in context and rightfully refers to the sacrifice Jesus made for us - His church. And we have probably heard it so much that it no longer has the "awe factor" that it did the first few times we heard it.
Well, here comes John to give it to us in a different way, a pastoral way. This is where Pastor John, in his sermon notes (i.e. 1 John, in this case) delivers to us the way we need to apply what he wrote so many years before.
We know that Jesus died for us because he loves us. We know that we need to love our Christian brothers and sisters as (i.e. in the same way as, and because) Jesus loves us. So, does that mean that we need to die for one another?
John's answer? Yes. And, No.
Yes, we need to die for each other, but not in the physical sense. We need to die for each other in that we put aside (or kill) our personal wants and desires for the benefit of our brothers and sisters. We must take pity on our brothers and sisters in need by giving from what we have.
I once heard a story about a guy who personalized this by promising God that, if asked, he would give all the money he had in his pockets to anyone who had a need. One morning, with his pockets full of his family's vacation fund, he stopped by the office before loading the family in the car for a week-long vacation to an amusement park. As he was coming out of his office, in the pre-dawn twilight, someone approached him and asked for money. (If I remember it right, it was a single mom whose car had broken down.) This man kept his word by giving this person all the money he had to take his family on vacation, and had to go home to a wife and kids who were very much looking forward to the week of fun that they'd spent so much time planning and looking forward to, and tell them that they were staying home now because he had given away all their vacation money.
This man laid down his life, but didn't get off as easy as to die and get it over with. No. He not only gave over all his money, he also went home to deliver the news and deal with the disappointment of those he loves the most. He got to experience their disappointment throughout that week, and the weeks that followed. He got to go back to the office and tell his boss and co-workers that instead of taking the trip he'd been talking about, he, instead, gave away all his money to a total stranger.
But this is exactly what John had in mind when he wrote this. This man loved with his actions. He set aside his own desires and comfort for the benefit of another. And now, after they've dealt with the disappointment, his family can see the shining example he set for them and hopefully follow it for the benefit of many others.
Created 9 months ago
