“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13(NLT)
Only the love of Christ can fill our cups. He loves us completely, and the knowledge of this helps us love others unconditionally and unselfishly. Jesus Christ said in John 15:13(NLT), “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This is how much Jesus loved the disciples, and it is the depth of his love for us as well. He loves us beyond the completion of our redemption. It is a love that is never ending, unconditional, and unfailing. The more we accept his love in our hearts, the greater we can love others and ourselves.
John 13 tells us Jesus knew that God had given him authority over everything. He knew who he was and that he would be returning to the throne. He was also fully aware of the suffering he would endure, but that wasn’t his focus. John 13:4 tells us that he took off his robe, wrapped it around his waist, and poured water into a basin. He began to wash the disciple’s feet. There is no greater act of humility among humanity than this. Peter was incredulous at the thought that his Master Jesus would wash his feet. He no doubt felt it was beneath Jesus, but love in its purest, most powerful form would not neglect to reveal itself through humble service to the end. Peter protested in John 13:8(NLT), “No…you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Once our Lord and Master explained to Peter that the fulfillment of his purpose had to be complete in this way, Peter responded “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
A pure, undeniable, and incorruptible example of love was left by Jesus Christ. It far surpasses every synapse, every brain cell, every emotion, feeling, and attitude achievable in the human experience. Nothing we can conjure on our own can reach the depth of the love of God in Christ. He calls upon us to be totally washed by it through the Holy Spirit, and to have a total and complete dependency on Him.
God’s demonstration of love defies definition and exceeds all boundaries. He is love and His love is fulfilled through Christ. This means that God fulfilled the requirements of love so completely that there can be no question about what we mean to Him. Eternity has no end, but God traveled there, and saw the finished work of who we would become in Christ. Ephesians 1:11 tells us He predestined that we become the person He saw. Jesus Christ gave his life so that we could be all that God destined us to be. He loved us to the very end of his existence on earth. He finished his course, and because he did, we can now have the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Every moment of each day, we must be guided by the Spirit, so that we can leave a lasting impression of God’s love for others in the same way that Christ left it for us.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Love to the Very End” written for VictoryInJesusChrist.life©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! h the Word of God.
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