Lay Down Your Life

Call to Prayer 

Title: Lay Down Your Life

By: Daniel Peter 

Date: 22.05.2024

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  John 15:13 NIV

His instruction for the New Testament church is “love as I have loved you (John 13:34)”. For us to obey this instruction, we must learn to lay down our lives.

Though many claim to love, a few understand what it truly means to love. This is so because the information most have consumed on love has come from the world instead of from the Lord through His word. Love as practised by the world is selfish, while love, as taught by the Lord, is selfless.

For the world, love is about what you can receive, but in the kingdom, love is about what we can give. Scriptures recounted that “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son… (John 3:16 KJV)”. Therefore, true love is expressed by giving and not just receiving. Again, Jesus Christ speaking, said “‬‬there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends ‭‭(John‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NLT)”, we lay down our lives when we can give up that which we desire or prefer for the benefit of another. And this “another” can be a neighbour, a friend, an enemy or the Lord Himself.

One benefit of laying down our lives is that only when we do (along with renewing our minds), can we truly discern the good, pleasing and perfect will of God (see Romans 12:1-2). God leads us to the cross, which is a place where we die to ourselves. Only those who can lay down their lives as Jesus did can follow the leading of God fully.

An encouragement for us to lay down our lives is that whatever we give up for the sake of God, we will gain it back multiplefold. Jesus Christ said “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matt. 16:25KJV)”. We are making kingdom investments when we give up things to follow Him, for His reward is a hundred times more in this life and eternal life hereafter (see Mark. 10:30).

Prayer Point 

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s ask Him to help us to lay down our lives for others and Him. He should also help us to see the reward of sacrificial obedience.