Sunday, November 1, 2009

No Greater Love

Most people know the line. Jesus said, “No greater love has any man than to lay down his life for a friend.”

Most people think that what Jesus meant was, there is no greater love than to be willing to die for a friend. He even demonstrated this by dying on the cross, for us. Well, that’s love all right. But it isn’t the most difficult love for humans to give. The greatest and most difficult love falls under the category of dying to self; putting other people’s needs above and before your needs.

Jesus demonstrated this love when He took the role of a gentile servant, pretty much the lowest position in the land and washed the feet of his followers.

Jesus demonstrated this love when He stepped down from His throne in heaven and took upon Himself the life of a human being.

We demonstrate this love when we apologise for a wrong that we have done.

We demonstrate this love when we do a task that our partner normally does

We demonstrate this love when we take on the role of parents

We demonstrate this love when we give money to those in need instead of spending it on ourselves

We demonstrate this love when we turn off the tv or put down the book and listen to a family member

We demonstrate this love when we don’t retaliate

We demonstrate this love when a line of gossip stops with us

We demonstrate this love when we give of our selves, our time and our money.

We demonstrate this love when we shut down a sexual fantasy, do good to our enemy, pray for those who seek to harm us, when we love the Lord our God with all of our hearth, soul, mind and strength.

8 comments:

Laughing Boy said...

Amen.

World of Facts said...

Amen.

Except the "God" part...

I agree with everything you wrote. I was raised with an idea of Jesus just the way you described him here in this short text. What a great man. He had such an impact on the people around.

feeno said...

Amen

I agree with Hugo, Except the Except the "God" part...

Tristan Vick said...

Ramen.

I agree with feeno who agrees with Hugo except for feeno's Except the Except the "God part...

Thesauros said...

A great man? A GREAT man???

From you're perspective he was a liar, and fraud, a maniacal, grandiose manipulator of people, a cynic, a monster who compelled people to die for him.

World of Facts said...

A great man? A GREAT man???

From you're perspective he was a liar, and fraud, a maniacal, grandiose manipulator of people, a cynic, a monster who compelled people to die for him.


I like the fictional character of Jesus yes. The one that performed miracles and did only good things. The one I learned about when I was a kid...

The real Jesus is another thing though, and I don't know much about him. I don't think he was a liar; probably a very charismatic guy who believed weird stuff... who knows?

Chris Mackey said...

The long-haired blue eyed Jesus of Sunday School, not the ranting crazy of the Bible.
Always going on with the "Do as I say or God will torture you!"

Chris Mackey said...

Bible Jesus did teach some fun stuff though:
If anyone asks you for something, give it to them. (Matt 5:42)
If someone steals from you, don't try to get it back. (Luke 6:30)
Don't work to obtain food (John 6:27)
Don't plan for the future (Matt 5:32)