Word for Wednesday
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
On the night of June 12, 1944, a Canadian-built Lancaster bomber with a Canadian crew made its way across the English Channel to carry out its mission. The plane was attacked in the darkness by a Luftwaffe Ju88 night fighter. The damaged plane began to burn, and the pilot gave the order to bail out. While making his way from his mid upper turret to the rear escape door, Warrant Officer Andy Mynarsky noticed his friend Pat Brophy was trapped in the rear turret. Andy ignored his own peril and struggled to help Pat open the jammed turret door. When it became apparent they could not succeed, Pat motioned for Andy to bail out. With a salute to his friend, and his clothing on fire, Andy jumped. Although he landed, Andy was too badly burned to survive. But Pat did survive the crash, thrown clear when the plane’s bombs exploded on impact. He lived to tell of Andy’s heroism.
Most of us never are faced with situations where we give our lives in an attempt to save the lives of our friends or relatives. But there are other ways in which lives are laid down. Consider the missionaries we know who leave the comforts and safety of their homeland to befriend and evangelize people who need the Gospel elsewhere. Think too of the Lord’s people who live their lives in service to others, whose highest priority is to help and support those who need comfort, caring, and supply. Instead of joining the race to accumulate property and comforts, they lay down their lives, sacrificing their own ambitions and desires, their own comforts and pleasures, that their friends might have the help they need. What motivates these people?
The Lord Jesus tells us that the greatest love we can display is laying down our lives for our friends. Selfish and stingy people lack such love. They don’t care because they don’t love. They don’t act or give because they don’t love. But where do we fit on the continuum of loving our friends? How much of our lives are we willing to lay down when others need what we are able to do for them? How much of our lives are we already laying down for others?
The Lord Jesus gives us not only the pattern for love, but He gives us the perfect Example. If we live as He lived, we will do so because we appreciate His love, and will joyfully pass it on to our friends. – Jim MacIntosh