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
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of Sharing With Others

Ecclesiastes 5:13-17 NASB 13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. 14 When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. 15 As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil--exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind? 17 Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger. This Scripture passage brings to mind the movie "Click." Adam Sandler portrays a man who has a remote control for life. Anytime he encounters an unpleasant event, or has a deadline, he just punches the fast-forward button and speeds through it. At the end of the movie, he's an extremely accomplished and well respected man in business, b...
Read more

Value of Friends

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 7 I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, "Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?" It is all so meaningless and depressing. 9 Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. 11 And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. We depend too much on self. We believe we're the only one who can do a certain job and then we refuse to ask for help....
Read more

Money Brings Problems

Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 NASB  10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity. 11 When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on? 12 The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. No matter how much money we earn, we tend to be left wanting more. The more money we receive, the more our burdens increase. Even the miserly millionaire has tons of worries. He worries how to make more money that he'll refuse to spend, or whether his investments are growing or shrinking. With these worries come bigger expenses. It cost money to make money.  Sometimes the love of money takes grasp of a heart and puts it into a choke hold. All that is important is gaining another dollar. It can become an addiction, or adrenaline rush. It's not just the poor and pove...
Read more