Sacrificial Love

Today's verse is found in I John 3:16, The Message, "THis is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.

In the world in which we live today, we don't like to use the word sacrifice. Why? Because we know that it is going to cost us something. It may be our time, our money, our own wants, you get the picture. So, we don't use the word and we try not to think about having to sacrifice anything.

We are so caught up in the thought pattern that the world has that it is all about me and mine. If I ain't happy ain't nobody happy. Everything should cater to me and my needs and wants. This is so contrary to the word of God and the example Jesus set for us to follow.

Jesus loved us when we were unloveable. He loved us unconditionally. We can relate to this usually when we think about our children. We love them unconditionally. They can do things that just blow our minds and make us so angry or hurt, but we still love them anyway.

I remember years ago when Aaron had done something that had made me so mad. I got one of those cardboard things that come on hangers from the drycleaners to spank him with. They had worked really good in the past. But this one day it didn't work, he had gotten bigger and the cardboard had gotten weaker. I started spanking him with it and it broke and half of it flew across the room. Aaron is just standing there looking at me and then he starts laughing. Of course I am sure you are like me and don't care to be laughed at when we are trying to discipline. So of course being the godly mother I was I got madder. So I went and got the little piece and tried to spank him with it. We both got tickled after a while.

Even though they do things that hurt us or make us mad, we still love them and would do anything for them.

We must develop this same love for those around us. Even those we don't think deserve our love. God tells us to love others the way He loved us, sacrificially. We must be willing to sacrifice our time, our money, our thoughts, wants, and desires to pour love into those around us.

By this shall all men know that you are my disciples when you have love one for another. When we stand before God will He look at us and say, " Well Done, good and faithful servant, you have loved as I have commanded you to love or will we be standing there trying to show God all the things we did for ourselves that have no eternal value to them whatsoever?

My Challenge to you today is to strive to do something for someone today that you would not normally do. God will bless you, He will help you, strengthen you, and love through you.