If we love others, we must lay down our “life” every day for them. What does this mean? When Jesus died on the cross for us, he died to himself and what he wanted…which, I can assure you, Jesus wasn’t excited about having to die a brutal death (Matthew 26:38-39). However, because he loved us, he followed his Father’s orders.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard married couples considering divorce say, “There just isn’t that spark anymore. The feelings are gone.” Covenantal commitment is more than just sparks. If our love is only based on a feeling, we’ll be led to disappointment more often than not.
Love is not a feeling. No, love, true love, is the daily act of dying to oneself. It’s dying to and letting go of what we want for the sake of the other person. Every day we must sacrifice our desires and selfish ambition if we want a love that’ll last and stand the test of time.
Love isn’t the comfortable fuzzy feeling you see on Hallmark. No, love is sacrifice. Love is about becoming uncomfortable for the sake of another’s comfortability, and love is choosing the other person’s wants above your own… within reason of course. We can have this selfless love when we ask the Holy Spirit to help us to love like God loves us.
Every day we have a choice: a choice to love or not to love. Every day I find myself at the foot of God’s throne asking him for the strength to continue to choose to sacrifice the way he did for me, because that is love.
Jesus, thank you for your sacrificial selfless love. Help me to understand it more deeply each day. I want your love to overflow from my life as I interact with people around me. Help me to lay down my life for others as you've laid down your life for me. Be glorified in me, Lord God. Amen.
Throughout this Day: Ask the Holy Spirit to challenge your approach to loving others. Is there any part of your love for your friends or family that is conditional or influenced by feeling? Take those thoughts to the Lord and ask him to make your love genuine just as his love is for you. Pray through Romans 12:9-21.
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