Great Love

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

Although we’re striving hard to make healthier food choices at our home, I have a weakness for an occasional evening snack of popcorn – heavy on the butter. “Good stuff,” future son-in-law Mark says wiping off his greasy fingers.

“I’m probably killing us with this,” I replied. Mark disregarded such thinking and refilled his bowl. I envisioned my autopsy report with this analysis – Cause of death: buttered popcorn overdose. Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn’s marketing team will be forced to add a Surgeon General’s Warning to their products.

John Fischer wrote, “Jesus said, ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). If you could do a spiritual autopsy on Jesus, that is certainly what you would find: love. Love was the cause of death.

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy (Ephesians 5:25b-26a). Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).

Jesus went to the cross and bled love for us. Through His sacrifice He showed us the full extent of His love and gave us an example to follow. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11). We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

This past weekend was a double milestone for our family. On Friday night middle daughter Stephanie graduated from high school and on Saturday morning, oldest daughter Elizabeth was honored at a bridal shower. Behind the scenes there was some friendly, sisterly bantering taking place. Throughout the day on Friday Stephanie teased Elizabeth, “Today is my day. It’s all about me!” At 11:40 PM that evening, in between hugs from guests that continued to enter our home to celebrate with Stephanie, Elizabeth said, “Stephanie, in twenty minutes it’s my day! Then it’s all about me!”

Thankfully I knew they were teasing one another and delighting in God’s gift of these special times. The hard part of that conversation was recognizing myself in it. Would I say aloud, “It’s all about me?” Never! But if a spiritual autopsy were taken on me – was taken on you – would it bleed Jesus’ great love or would it find a life that’s all about me? Great love dies to self and lives for the One who died for you and me.

Faith Step

Think about your spiritual autopsy. If needed, make a course correction that demonstrates Jesus’ great love.

Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship
with others and the love it displays.

Andrew Murray