Dying's the Easy Part
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command" —John 15:12-14.
Perfect. Amen. Hallelujah. I'll be happy to die for the sake of a friend.
Easy to say when I am almost sure no one is ever going to ask me to make that ultimate sacrifice.
But ask me to offer to take a neighbour on her weekly grocery run, babysit someone else's kids, spend time helping out at a homeless shelter, offer myself for that needy ministry in my church, entertain visiting missionaries, accept an exchange student for the purpose of doing some cross-cultural evangelism, fix an elder lady's broken faucet or cut her grass; well, that's another story.
The possibility of dying is easier than the certainly of living out the reality of my commitment to Christ in my daily life.
And the commitment IS to Christ. I read this verse as it relates to human friends, but the last part of the verse tells me who I am actually showing friendship to when I die to self just a little bit more so that I can live for God just that little bit more.
"…lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." When I "lay down" my life, it is not so much for those who receive the benefit of my acts of obedience. Rather it is to identify myself as a friend of the Lord who asked me to obey Him and to model His life of sacrifice.
Dying would be a huge sacrifice, but living might represent a an even greater one.
Perfect. Amen. Hallelujah. I'll be happy to die for the sake of a friend.
Easy to say when I am almost sure no one is ever going to ask me to make that ultimate sacrifice.
But ask me to offer to take a neighbour on her weekly grocery run, babysit someone else's kids, spend time helping out at a homeless shelter, offer myself for that needy ministry in my church, entertain visiting missionaries, accept an exchange student for the purpose of doing some cross-cultural evangelism, fix an elder lady's broken faucet or cut her grass; well, that's another story.
The possibility of dying is easier than the certainly of living out the reality of my commitment to Christ in my daily life.
And the commitment IS to Christ. I read this verse as it relates to human friends, but the last part of the verse tells me who I am actually showing friendship to when I die to self just a little bit more so that I can live for God just that little bit more.
"…lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." When I "lay down" my life, it is not so much for those who receive the benefit of my acts of obedience. Rather it is to identify myself as a friend of the Lord who asked me to obey Him and to model His life of sacrifice.
Dying would be a huge sacrifice, but living might represent a an even greater one.
Oh - this is good! Dying versus living - SO true! (I tweeted this, by the way. Hope I get you another reader or two!)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post.
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