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Lay Down Your Life
Call to Prayerย
Title: Lay Down Your Life
By: Daniel Peterย
Date: 22.05.2024
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down oneโs life for oneโs friends.ย John 15:13ย 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.ย Thisย is so because the information most have consumed onย loveย has come from the world instead of from the Lord through His word.ย Loveย as practised by theย worldย is selfish, whileย love, as taught by the Lord, is selfless.
For the world,ย loveย is about what you can receive, butย in the kingdom,ย loveย is about what we can give.ย Scriptures recountedย that “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son… (John 3:16 KJV)”.ย Therefore, trueย loveย is expressedย by giving and not just receiving. Again, Jesus Christย speaking,ย said “โฌโฌthereย is no greater love than to lay down oneโs life for oneโs friends โญโญ(Johnโฌ โญ15:13โฌ โญNLT)”, 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),ย can we truly discernย theย good, pleasing and perfect willย of Godย (see Romans 12:1-2).ย 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 Christย saidย “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 Pointย
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.
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