“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13 NLT
There are several different ways this passage can be taken. However, when we look at this passage in context, Jesus is teaching what it means to love our neighbors.
More often than not, especially today, we have a tendency to do the things that come easy to us. We take care of those around us when it’s convenient. We hear of someone in need and we think one of many things:
- They got themselves into this. I’m not fixing their mess.
- I have my own issues. I can’t help anyone else right now.
- I’m sure someone else will step up.
There are MANY other excuses, but these are the three that I’ve either heard or thought myself when I see people posting on social media.
But that isn’t what Jesus taught.
He tells us we are to lay down our lives for other people.
We are not to think of ourselves as better than anyone else. That homeless man? He’s a human being. That woman on the corner addicted to cocaine? She’s a human being. The single mother struggling to pay her bills? She’s a human being. The man struggling to find his identity? He’s a human being.
Not one of us is without sin. Not one of us is better than anyone else, no matter our station in life.
This week, I challenge you (and me!) to step out of your comfort zone and give assistance to someone in need. Even if it’s looking around while you’re on the bus or train and you give a stranger a smile. You never know the power of a smile.
Obviously be safe, but also listen for God. You’ll feel uncomfortable (that happens when you step out of your comfort zone), but discomfort doesn’t mean unsafe. God will guide you.
Heavenly Father, please help me to remember that You sent Jesus to lay down His life for me, literally. Help me to do the same, even if just figuratively. Help me to humble myself in spirit so I can serve others. In Jesus’s Name, amen.
Brittany Stonestreet 