Greater Love!

Greater Love!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 KJV

Context and Charge:

The world has a definition and image depicting love. The image is largely physical; you have to do something to prove you have it. That is how the world can define anything. The Word of God also has a definition, and this is quite encompassing: it is spiritual, physical, mental and emotional. To make it even more interesting, the One who speaks here makes His life the perfect example of how this definition works in real life. If I will be able to define and enjoy the love here, I need a personal encounter with the One who speaks here. Have I met Him? 

Until I meet Him, I can't fully understand what he says here. His life is the perfect example of how love works, and as we study his life, we see his heart of love laid bare for us. He gives us a command, as laid out in the verse just before the. one we are considering today: Love each other as I have loved you. How did he love us? He laid down his life as the perfect sacrifice for sin, so we would not have to die. His love would not let us go to hell as a result of our sin. At the time, we could not care less if He died; today, his death and life are the keys to the kingdom of heaven. 

Conviction and Conclusion:

We did not even know the value of what we had been given. None of us alive now was there when Jesus died for our sins. In fact, the bible records that those who witnessed his death mocked him, thinking he was dying the death of a criminal, or simply as a enemy of the Roman state. I stand where I am today because of that experience. He bore the pain, took the shame and died in deep sorrow, with His father turning his eyes away as His son bore the sin of the world. In fact, think of the fact that even future sins were also taken care of, which means that there is already provision for the sin that has not even been committed yet. That's deep. 

It calls for careful consideration from all of us. He calls me his friend, but at the time He died, I really was not his friend. Sin took care of that. Sin was a barrier and an obstacle to what God wanted to achieve, and until sin was paid for, I could not make an approach. With the price now settled, I do not have an excuse. All barriers to living the life of love God intends have been brought down. No one can do anything greater than what Jesus has done, and if I will let Him live in me, His love will also flow out of me to touch the world. That is how God and His love are made known to the world. Do I know this God and His love? God's time of favour is here.