16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
THOUGHTS:
Jesus modeled perfect love for us in allowing himself to be crucified for our sake. He allowed himself to be tortured to death so that we might have life. This is one of those passages that can convict us, because it asks how we are responding. It tells us we should be laying down our lives for:
... others
... friends
... neighbors
... strangers
... communities
... and all humanity.
Verse 17 reminds me of a quote from Dorothy Day: "If you have 2 coats, you've stolen one from the poor."
It reflects that most of us live in abundance: with closets full of shoes, numerous pairs of shoes, several coats, hats, and other accessories ... many purely for "decoration" of our bodies. We like the way they make us look and we enjoy the variety. You may even have the luxury of having things like iPods, computers, TVs, and video games.
Yet most of the world, and many people not far from where we live, have little. There are people struggling to stay warm. There are people without food to eat. There are many people who need your extra coats and shoes.
When asked why so many people live in poverty, Rob Bell has responded that the reason is because the church isn't doing our job. We are called to care for each other, to give from our abundance to those who have less. It isn't easy. I struggle with this all the time.
PRAYER:
Lord God, we thank you for all the blessings in our lives: food, clothing, education, housing, friends, medical care, and so much more. Help us to lay down our lives for others. Help us to learn that there is joying in giving things away. Help us to learn the way of Jesus. All this we pray in your holy name. AMEN.
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TODAY: Worship with us. 7:47pm in SUB 1 room B (3rd floor) on Wednesday 3/25/2009. Bring a friend: ALL are welcome!
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These devotions are provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University. Feel free to share them with your friends! For more information on our ministry and events, see http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran
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