ODJ: absorbing the fall
December 11, 2011
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters (v.16).
READ: 1 John 3:11-20
Shirley Dygert wanted to celebrate her 54th birthday with flair. So she signed up to skydive from nearly 2½ miles above the ground. In tandem with Dave Hartsock, her instructor, they leaped from the plane. They pulled the ripcord, but the parachute became tangled and only partially opened. Hartsock tried opening the reserve parachute, but it too was tangled. As they spiralled to the ground at 40 mph, Hartsock realised they were running out of time. So he rotated his body under Dygert’s body and absorbed the impact of the fall. Dygert walked away relatively uninjured, but Hartsock is now paralysed from the neck down. What an example of sacrifice!
Just as Hartsock lay down his body for the safety of his student, the apostle John reminded his readers that this is what Jesus did for the salvation of the world. In response, they were to sacrifice to help meet the physical needs of one another.
This call to sacrificial love was not a new command but a message John had heard from Jesus (John 13:34-35). John pointed to the powerful model of Jesus, who was betrayed, sentenced to death, mocked, scourged, and who endured the agony of the cross to forgive their sins. As He sacrificially gave up His life for our sin, we should be prepared and willing to lay down our lives for one another through the meeting of one another’s physical needs.
Over 2 thousand years ago, Jesus demonstrated His love by laying down His life for us. Motivated by this kind of love, we should ask God to help us love others in the same way. Let’s begin by striving to lessen the impact of the financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual burdens of our brothers and sisters in Jesus. —Marvin Williams
How willing are you to have your finances and schedules inconvenienced and interrupted by people in need? How can you and your family demonstrate your love for needy brothers and sisters in Jesus?
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