#DailyDevotion Jesus Calls You To Sacrifice Yourself Daily For Your Fellow Christian

Tuesday Easter 4

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

 

What is love or how do we know what love is? We know the love of God and Christ Jesus through sacrifice. The Father sent his only begotten Son to be the sacrifice to reconcile himself to the whole world. The Son came willingly of his own accord to lay down his life for us. Sacrifice for the other is what love is.

 

Since God so love us, by sending the sacrifice and being the sacrifice that we might have life, John says we too ought to lay down our lives for our the brothers. The brothers here are particularly those fellow Christians in our lives. Yes we should show love for all people we encounter, but especially those who share the same Spirit as us.

 

Now what does it mean to lay down our lives for the brothers? Does it mean be willing to take a bullet for them or place our lives at risk in survival situation? Perhaps, but I think John is referring to something much more practical in daily life and much, much harder. He gives an example in this passage. If you have worldly goods and you see a fellow Christian in need but you don’t share your goods with your brother Christian, God’s love does not abide in you. The love, the sacrifices John is referring to are daily happenings in which you have to place the need of your brother over against your own desires and wants.

 

It calls for daily deaths in our lives. Most of what we posses was gained by working. Working takes time and time is money, but time is also life. So to dispossess yourself of something you have worked for is to sacrifice your life, at least that time of your life. We like doing that about as much as taking a bullet. We might prefer to take the bullet sometimes for someone over giving up a worldly good. But to share our worldly goods with those who lack is to show love. Since those possessions represent our life, then also so spending time with someone. Sometimes what people need is time spent with you. It is a sacrifice to spend your time with someone who needs your company. Sometimes they may need your time to get something done. We should be willing if able to spend our time/life for our fellow Christians that need it.

 

Lastly there is the sacrifice of retribution. If someone has hurt us, particularly if they are a fellow Christian, the sacrifice God calls us to in love is to forgive. To forgive is to die. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood Hebrews says. Well shedding of blood and dying are the same thing. Jesus shed his blood; he laid down his life for you so you may be forgiven. Now in kind, he expects you to die to your right of retribution. He wants you to forgiven those who have become indebted to you. It may be painful to so. You may have a lot invested in not forgiving someone. To forgive them is to sacrifice your life. In these ways then, let us love not only in words but in deed and in truth.

 

Heavenly Father, you sacrificed your Son, who willingly laid down his life for us that we may possess eternal life. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may believe this and then offer ourselves as living sacrifices for our fellow Christians on a daily basis. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.