Do you consider yourself a loving person? Most of us do. Maybe, not all of the time, but overall, we would probably think of ourselves as loving. But we are about to discover that Jesus raised the bar on our definition of love. It was He who said, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (john 15:13 NLT). Now, let me ask you again, do you consider yourself a loving person? You see, Jesus has provided us with a criteria for true love that goes far beyond what this world considers the standard for love. And He didn't just talk about it, He demonstrated it with His own life. Jesus showed love for the Father by laying down His life in obedience to the Father's will. He also showed love for us by sacrificing His life so that we might be freed from slavery to sin and enjoy eternal life, and a restored relationship with God the Father. True love requires sacrifice. It is selfless, not self-serving. God gave up His own Son. Jesus gave up His own life. But for many of us, as soon as love starts costing us more than we bargained for, we begin to have second thoughts. We start to panic. And too often, we bail on the very ones we claim to love. But in John 14, we are going to see Jesus love to death. No running. No quitting. No attempts at self-preservation. Just selfless, sacrificial love.
