A Greater Love

In one of the last messages Moses gave to the people of Israel, he told them to obey all the commands of God and to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5). About fifteen hundred years later, Jesus referred to this as the greatest of all commandments and then added: "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands" (Matthew 22:39-40). The commands to love God and love others summarize how God desires us to live.

On the evening before He was crucified, Jesus gave His disciples a final command.

John 15:12-13
"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."

In this command, we're not all being called to physically die for one another. This one time action would actually be relatively easy. Rather, the general call from Christ is for us to daily "lay down" our lives by dying to our self gratification and considering the needs of others more important than our own (Philippians 2:3-4). And as opposed to a one time event for a select individual, we are being called to daily lay ourselves down for ALL - even when others are not deserving...even when they have not earned our love.

We are commanded to love as God first loved us. His love was with total commitment and sacrifice; "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son" (John 3:16). His love was with absolute compassion and forgiveness; "God demonstrated His love in this! While we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

The Apostle John spent almost 60 years pondering the words of his Savior and then concluded that love was the one characteristic which identifies us as a true believer; "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death" (1 John 3:14).

Yes, we are to love as Jesus loved. This means we should love without consideration of economic, social, or ethnic class. We should love cross gender, cross race, cross culture, and EVEN cross religion! Without ever compromising the message of Truth, we must begin to view others through the eyes of Jesus and remove the barriers of our love. Let's begin to truly love! Let's begin to open our heart, lay down our life, and love with a greater love.

Steve,
I really appreciate ALL that you're doing to further God's kingdom through your ministry.
I've only responded to your emails on one other occasions and it was to this same email or one very similar to it.
I usually whole heartedly agree with your emails, but I couldn't disagree with you more on your comment that "In this command, we're not all being called to physically die for one another. This one time action would actually be relatively easy." This comment is very wrong and insulting to our armed service members, police officers, firemen, etc..., not to mention that Jesus did this very thing too. Do you really believe that Jesus' torutous death was a "relatively easy, one time action"?
I absolutely believe that God is calling ALL of us to physically die for one another should the situation arise. If we aren't willing to or if we trivialize the "relatively easy, one time action" of a person giving his life for another then we are at least, insulting God by our lack of faith and cowardice, we are being disobedient to God's command and Jesus' example and we are insulting God and everyone who has ever had a loved one sacrifice their life for another. I'm sure that you didn't intend to insult our armed service members, police officers, firefighters, etc... and their families that have given their lives for you and me, so please try to be more sensitive toward your fellow man.
Please keep up the good work and be encouraged that many people are greatly benefitting from your ministry and sacrificial service.
In God's Wonderful Love,
Pat

Hi Pat! Thanks for writing. I struggled with the proper wording, knowing that it probably would be misunderstood. Jesus died a torturous death, but His death was relatively easy compared to Him humbling Himself and becoming a man - that was the true example of laying down our life. I could step in front of a bullet and give my life for my wife, but that by itself does not fulfill the call to lay down my life for others. The real difficult part of the call is to lay down my life when I come through the door and must consider her needs more important than my own (eg., do I help with dishes or watch a basketball game). When I do this every day for the rest of my life - when I can lay down my own goals and ambitions for the sake of others - then I begin to truly understand the call to give my life for the ones I love.

I hope this helps with what I'm trying to say. I certainly mean no disrespect for those who put their lives in harms way for others. I'm truly sorry of this caused any offense.

I agree what Steve wrote " His death was relatively easy compared to Him humbling Himself and becoming a man - that was the true example of laying down our life." For me it is more difficult to lay down my life in the form of giving up my right, ambition than having the physical death..
Only people who die inside first will be willing to die outside in different ways of sacrifice..
Steven, your ministry has encouraged me so much since the first year I was baptized...
May God bless you to spread His truth and lead more people to walk in Light.