Devo 24: No Greater Love...

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

John 15:13

Well, my devotionals have all been running together lately, but I can’t get over the fact that the Son of God laid down His life for us. This was the greatest manifestation of love that has ever been or will ever be.

What does it mean for us to apply this to our daily life? Several things come to mind.

First of all, gratitude should flow from our hearts when we grasp what He did for us. It is not something that we will grasp once, and then perpetually overflow with gratitude, but we must continually reawaken the reality of His sacrifice in our spirits for it to consistently affect our lives. Colossians 3:15-16 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” This “peace of Christ” is the peace that He had while in pain on the cross, yet He said to the Father, “Into Your hands, I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). When we realize what He did for us, it makes it easier to be grateful and to trust the Lord during the circumstances surrounding us—even if they are extremely painful.

Secondly, when the awesomeness of this reality hits us, we begin to embrace suffering rather than run from it. Paul said, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Phil. 3:8, 10). Our lives are a continual process of learning how to “take up your cross and follow” Him by “putting to death the deeds of the flesh” (Mark 8:34-38; Rom. 8:13).

Another way the revelation of His sacrifice affects us is that it reveals His love for us and His love for others. This is the point Jesus was making when He said, “Greater love has no man than this…” in John 15:13. He preceded that verse by saying, “This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). It is in this context of loving one another that John speaks of God’s love toward us in I John. John states that God’s love will give us boldness in the day of judgment, will cast out fear, and will enable us to love Him (I John 4:17,18,19).

These are only a few ways that meditation on Christ’s loving sacrifice can dramatically affect our lives in the way we carry our hearts toward ourselves, others, and God.

This week, I want to challenge you to set aside 20 minutes a day to meditate on the sacrifice of Christ. Pick one or more of the following passages for meditation: Luke 23:44-46, Phil. 3:7-11, John 15:9-13, I John 4:8-11, I Cor. 11:23-26.

You might even take communion and ask the Lord to transform your heart and mind with the revelation of His love. Ask Him to fill you with gratitude, and thank Him even if you don’t feel it at the moment. Ask for the peace of Christ to dwell in you. Ask Him to help you put to death the deeds of the flesh and to fill you with His resurrection life (Rom. 8). Ask Him to fill you with His perfect love that casts out fear.

Blessings,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved