04/25/18 - John 15

April 25, 2018 – John 15

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

Love is sacrifice, not feeling or receiving.

Driving to work one morning, I felt this prompting to stop at Starbucks and buy a Chai Tea Latte.  This is not normal any longer, after quitting coffee a while back, and I almost talked myself out of it.  Glad I didn’t, because something happened that was a clear lesson from God.

I walked in and ordered my tea, and the barista took my order, ringing it up and recording my name on the cup.  Then she slid a gift card through the register and told me the drink was free.  I asked why and she told me a man had come in earlier and rung up a large gift card to give away drinks until it was empty.  What a gift!

The first thought that came to me was: Who is this guy?  I want to tail him more often!  Then it motivated me to want to do the same thing in the future for other people.  But being Easter week, it also hit me that the analogy matched closely what Jesus said He would do on the cross … sacrificing for the sake of others.  Jesus came to earth and purchased the largest debit card ever recorded, buying our lives by paying for our sins.  He offers us the chance to use His account to cover our sin, if we will simply follow Him.  That’s amazing love!

Love is often considered a feeling or a connection, but that’s not how Jesus describes love.  Love to Jesus was a sacrificial decision for the sake of another.  Love is not about receiving, it is about giving.  Love is not looking for repayment, it looks for opportunity to serve.  Love is not a feeling, it is an action.  Jesus defined love as laying down our life for someone else.

If that is the true definition of love, then who have you shown love to these days?  Who is receiving the benefit of your sacrifice?

That man ahead of me at Starbucks demonstrated great love – he paid for our coffee (or tea).  Choose today to demonstrate love toward people in your life.  Be willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of your spouse, your family, your friends, your community.