No Greater Love

Scripture: John 15:12-17 (ESV)

¹²  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you so that you will love one another.

Devotion:

            Jesus's words in today’s text encourage believers throughout the ages to believe that we are not merely servants but friends of Jesus. Jesus explains His commandments to His followers then and now. As friends and followers of Jesus, we are to love one another even as Jesus has loved us. This is a tall order. Not many of us would be willing to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. We chose to go along to get along, as the cliché goes. We follow Jesus as long as it does not cause us any hardship or pain.

            This clearly is not Jesus’ intention for His followers. Jesus speaks here of our mutual friendship. Because of this friendship, we are saved and rescued from eternal death. This friendship propels us to act in ways that seem strange to the world. Because the world has seen the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and rejected Jesus, they cannot know the intimate friendship that Jesus' followers have with each other and the risen Savior. Jesus gives us marching orders to follow as His friends and followers.

            These marching orders are, " Love each other just as Jesus loves us.” We may find it easier to love Jesus than our fellow believers. Jesus is more distant and spiritual, while our believing neighbor is closer and in our space. It is always easier to love an idea than a person. Yet, we are to love our fellow soldiers in Christ’s army, even to the point of sacrificing our very lives for them. Jesus was right when He said that no one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. We need to remind ourselves that we are Jesus’ friends, and He laid down His life for us—even death on the cross.

            Jesus promises us that believers who love one another will bear much fruit for the kingdom. We will be shining lights in a world that grows darker by the day. Not everyone will be attracted to the light of Christ that shines in us because some are too far gone into the enemy's camp, and light repels rather than attracts them. Nevertheless, we should let the light of Christ shine in us to attract those who will come to the light and be saved. Let us pray to be bright lights for Christ.

Prayer:

            Lord, clean us up so that we may be bright beacons of light to the world. So that the world will find in us a safe harbor where they can rest and grow in Jesus. Help us, Father, to be glowing representatives of your Son in the world. Send forth your Holy Spirit to empower us to love each other even to the point of death. Now, O Lord, grant us a full measure of your love so that we may love others. Amen.