“No
one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends.” John
15:13
Here’s a Soldier who gave His life for
all His friends on a global level. He saw His friends shackled in sin,
helpless under the wicked power of the enemy who captured everyone in His
territory, this soldier named Jesus decided to exchange His life for all who were
captured on earth. Knowing that He created us, loved us, valued us more than
His own life, He decided to rescue us. He took our place in prison, accepted
the torture, the abandonment, the emotional and mental anguish and so much more,
but ultimately gave His life to set us free.
This
freedom is much more than a physical one. When He laid down His life for all of
us, His friends; that afforded us the following:
1. Emotional
freedom, to be happy and hope for the best despite the negative issues that may
come our way.
2. Mental freedom
to bask in His goodness and be thankful for what we do have, regardless of how
much we may have lost, and sing songs of praise even if our bodies are chained
in sickness, jail, financial hardship, hunger, or any other thing.
3. Spiritual
freedom to worship a God of love. To depend on Him to sustain us and help us in
our times of need. But also to cultivate a relationship that can withstand the
test of time and grant us eternal life.
4. Personal
freedom to choose between right and wrong. To choose to do good to others and
help those who are in need.
5. Freedom of
Expression to show compassion to a hurting person or group. To acknowledge
their situation and recognize that they are worth your time and effort, because
how you treat them is exactly how you would want to be treated.
6. Freedom to
forgive and accept forgiveness from ourselves and from those who wronged us and
those we may have wronged.
As
you can see there is just so much that our friend Jesus gave when He laid down
His life for us. It didn’t matter if you never met Him before. Remember you and
I never met all the soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom in a war we
probably didn’t witness. But the families, the veterans, and history assure us
that it was real and we accept it.
If
you want to talk to some who witness what Jesus did, ask Matthew, Peter or John;
these friends are found in the Holy Bible. They can share some history with you
about this Jesus who did so much for you when you didn’t even ask Him to. Isn’t that the
stuff that heroes are made of?
I
think so. Won’t you take a moment to thank Jesus for the freedom you have? Please
pray for all our friends (our service men and women) who are currently showing “greater
love” by laying down their lives for others. Don’t forget to Pray for our world.
Remember, You are
greatly blessed and highly favored in the sight of your loving Soldier, your
Friend, JESUS!
© D. Rowe
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