Greater Love

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you (John 15:13-14)

I don't know about you but I like to skip over this verse. Sure the Jesus loving me part is awesome, but it's where it applies to me that I don't like.

I've tried to outsmart God by having only a few friends. (And those few friends have to be super cool and not ever need anything.) But then I'm reminded that Jesus calls us to love even our enemies and I can't get him on that technicality.

Jesus is speaking of his death here, but it applies to us as well.

Jesus commands us to love one another. The problem is that we have a greater love for ourselves.

As Christians we muddle this up and change the words to things we can control and measure.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone goes to church every week.

…doesn't drink alcohol. 

…doesn't have sex unless they're married.

…tithes.

…stands against abortion and homosexuality.

…stays married.

…votes Republican.

…reads their Bibles and prays when they wake up and before they eat every meal.

…is polite to everyone.

…follows the law.

…if the good outweighs the bad.

…follows the 10 Commandments.

…is tolerant of others.

…stops a friend from listening to country music. (The new stuff, not the old and it doesn't apply to Christmas music in that genre.)

We replace lay down his life for his friends for other things.

For lesser things.

Not that some of those things aren't good, but they aren't greater love.

If you want to have greater love, then you have to lay down your life for Jesus and for others. Greater love places other's before yourself. That is against almost every human inclination that we have. Jesus' greater love drove him to the cross. Where is your greater love leading you?

What does greater love look like to you?