Belong

During Jesus’s last night with the disciples, he tells them that them that no greater love can be demonstrated than to give one’s life for his friends. Then he goes on to call them friends, foreshadowing what will happen within the next 24 hours. Jesus will lay down his life for his friends, and he is inviting them to follow such a path as sacrificial love. Jesus desires the disciples to consider and observe a life of sacrificial love. This is not only the act of laying down one’s life for one’s friends but involves other aspects of life. Sacrificial love also involves serving, giving, and helping others while putting the interest of others ahead of your own. It often means not counting the cost but acting out of the interest to love. (John 15:12-17)

           What would our world look like if we followed this path which Jesus invited his disciples to follow? Sacrificial love could be a transformative blueprint for personal relationships, communities, and society at large. This would be radical change. Let’s face it, our world is marked with self-interest. Division, competition, and win at all costs often permeate our world. If we could only sacrificially love and set aside self-interest, then there would be more congeniality, compassion and reconciliation. Our world would be so different if we could simply love like Jesus loves us.