1 John 3:16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
I’ve kept asking us to think about what love is and what it looks like. Well, this verse gives us an answer. Love is laying down your live for others. This is the active love that was shown to us and that we are to show to others. This love is not motivated by our desire to be happy or pleased by others, but is a selfless act of seeking the good of others. When I read this verse, one of the first questions I asked myself was ‘why is this so hard to understand and apply? What stops me from loving like this?’ It is mostly selfishness and fear. Selfishness is right there on the surface, I want to insure my happiness and wellbeing. Fear is part of that. I am afraid that others will take advantage of me and that this love will not be returned. Being afraid of being taken advantage of is not without merit, there does need to be wisdom in how love is expressed. Thinking through this, it struck me that this is how I treat God’s love sometimes. Christ gave His life for me as a free gift and I just say thank you and go on with my day like nothing happened. It is like getting engaged, putting on the engagement ring and turning the diamond inwards, towards the palm. You can look down and see the light caught by the diamond, but no one else can see it. You are keeping the joy and life changing love hidden from the world. You know that you are loved, but it isn’t changing you. Jesus said ‘You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house.’ (Mat 5:14-15) Is my fear overshadowing the light of Christ’s love? Does my fear of being taken advantage of stop me from loving my brothers? Do I see Christ’s light shining, His love and mercy, and put it on display or do I hide it under a basket? Jesus commanded: ‘Let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.’ (Mat 5:16). I pray that that is our motivation as we think about how we are living.
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