There is a fascinating study of the 3:16's in the Bible awaiting anyone who would venture down that road. Today, we will only consider 1 John 3:16. There is a clear connection between our belief in Jesus and how and whom we love. Our growing understanding of the eternal will eventually translate into laying down our life for others. This is the essence of the life that the Lord Jesus died to give us. It will lead us to live in a way that lays down our life for others. Laying down our lives is predicated upon Jesus first laying down his life for us. He never takes his disciple somewhere he is unwilling to go, himself. He never asks of us something He himself is unwilling to give.
Every day there are clear opportunities for us to lay down our lives for others. Friends, family members, and even those whom we have never met are awaiting the influence of God through our yielded lives. Most of the time these moments go unnoticed. Most would consider them no big deal. However, in the kingdom of God, these moments influence the lives of eventual Believers with whom we will spend eternity in heaven. The question is this: will you be a part of this process?
“Greater love has no one than this,” Jesus once stated, “than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Why would anyone choose to put themselves at the rear of the line in any context? Because that person understands love. In 1969 the Thresher, an American made submarine, imploded off the coast of Virginia out in the Atlantic. When the officials examined the cause of the implosion, they cited faulty welding. Someone once said, "Biblical conviction will keep you from capsizing in a world of torrential waters." We live in a world that is full of intense pressures. And if we are not defined by the truth, well, we will implode under the intense pressure.
God created us with two basic needs:1) to be loved, and 2) to love. We all naturally long to be loved, but this is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to love, but we can not give what we do not have. The security that being loved brings to the human heart enables us to love others, even those who do not love us. If we have faulty welding, we will implode. When we accept ourselves as He does, we cease to pursue the acceptance of others, then we are secure enough to live for a purpose much bigger than ourselves.
Toward the end of his life, Dr. John Nash received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. John Nash is the only person to be awarded both the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and the Abel Prize. Dr. Nash went from a person who said, "In madness I thought I was the most important person in the world" to the person who said, "I've made the most important discovery of my life. It's only in the mysterious equation of love that any logical reasons can be found. I'm only here tonight because of you. You're the only reason I am...you're all my reasons.” Of course, the reason John said the latter was due to the unending love of his wife, Alicia. Alicia Nash was the unsung hero of this duo. As chronicled in the movie, A Beautiful Mind, Alicia endured the greatest of difficulties with John, all the while continuing to love John, even when most encouraged her to forsake him. Their story illustrates the essence of agape love. Loving the unlovable, even when they can not return the love.
In madness, I thought I was the most important person in the world.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_forbes_nash_jr_539727
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_forbes_nash_jr_539727
In madness, I thought I was the most important person in the world.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_forbes_nash_jr_539727
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_forbes_nash_jr_539727
