Christ's Ultimate Sacrifice

I John 3 :16-23
16 By this we (I) know love, because He laid down His life for us (me). And we (I) also ought to lay down our (my) lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever (that's me) has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children (me), let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we (me) know that we (me) are of the truth, and shall assure our (my) hearts before Him. 20 For if our (my) heart condemns us (me), God is greater than our (my) heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our (my) heart does not condemn us (me), we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we(I) ask we (I) receive from Him, because we (I) keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we (I) should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us (me) commandment.

Love--a wonderful emotion that supersedes anger and hatred, and moves us to action. It you love another, you're motivated to serve that person's every need. Christ expressed His love for us by laying "down His life." Nothing can top that sacrifice. He didn't do this on the spur of the moment, he knew it was coming. He chose to go through with the Father's plan even when the human side didn't want to. I'm so grateful for this sacrifice.

Since Christ expressed His love with such a huge sacrifice, we should be willing to do the same. We should be so filled with gratitude for Him, that we have to express it to others. This kind of gratitude can't be held inside. We should want to help others, and serve them. This is the way we express our appreciation to Christ for His sacrifice. In turn, it opens the door to tell others about what Christ has done for all of mankind.

My prayer for you is that you may show Christ's compassion to others.

Comments

Delia Latham said…
I love this passage of scripture, Rhonda. It's one we should all write on the tables of our hearts, and take note of every morning before heading off into our day. There is always opportunity to show the love of God to those around us, and if it's in our hearts, we will.

Blessings,
Delia
April 3, 2008 at 1:51 PM
Anonymous said…
Hi Rhonda, your post is such a blessing! That special love is one of the themes in my new inspirational poetry book, Abiding Hope and Love. I feel that my writing is a ministry, as you do with yours. By the way, my maiden name is Clark and I was born in Texarkana. May God continue to bless you in your writing as you touch others' hearts.
Connie
April 3, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Anonymous said…
Hey, I like this blog, I can do blogspot! Thanks for letting me know, Rhonda!
April 3, 2008 at 10:22 PM
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