Two Way Street
Katie Pettibone
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
It is hard to imagine a scenario that inhibits the willingness to die for a friend. I am more than sure we do not go around telling our closest friends that we love them so much we would die for them. Knowing that this verse comes from the mouth of Jesus, we can find peace.
Jesus explains to His disciples and to His servants (that He is now calling friends), that there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for their friend. We could easily try and use our human morals to find a way to read this verse in a different light. Such as something less heavy, “Jesus means He would do anything for a friend,” or “He’s just saying He loves us.” However, this verse has more meaning in that Jesus is explaining how deep love should be and in that we can find eternal peace.
As we look back on Jesus’ death, we know that He did it for the sake of humanity. In 1 Peter 2:24, we read, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” This verse says it all, in that Jesus took away our debts, and sins, and brought us into a new state of wellness in the Spirit. Jesus is our true friend, showing us that His love is abounding in everything He does. I mean, what better friend than having One who gifted you and me with free access to eternal life with God? There is no one in my opinion.
The more I ponder on Christ’s devoted friendship to us, the more I realize the fact that friendship is a two-way street. How in the world can we be as good a friend to Jesus as He is to us? In all reality, we are not perfect and will never be perfect; however, that should never stop us from striving to be. Jesus says there is no greater love than laying down one’s life. Does this mean, we have to die in order to be a great friend? Well, technically yes, we do. Going back to the 1 Peter 2:24 verse, it says, “That we might die to sin.” When we ask Jesus to become our Lord and Savior, we are not only asking Him to wash away our sins, but we are repenting from our own ways of the flesh. When we make this promise with God and live by it, we will become dead to our old ways, or our old lives. This means that as we live a godly life, we are not only becoming one with the body, but becoming a new body in the Spirit. With that, we can also find peace.
When we truly ask Jesus to become our Lord and Savior and start living a life according to His will, we are stepping into a life where eternal peace in Heaven is our endgame. Jesus died on the Cross to not only wash away our sins, but to give us eternal life. As most of us know from our old Sunday School days, John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
If you have not fully repented of your old ways and promised a new life to Christ, do so today. It is a life where you die to sin and begin to live in the Spirit of God. I urge you to take that chance now and become a friend to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the One who promises us eternal life with Him when we confess with our mouths that He is Lord, and believe in our hearts that He rose again that third day. There is no greater love.
Katie Pettibone
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
It is hard to imagine a scenario that inhibits the willingness to die for a friend. I am more than sure we do not go around telling our closest friends that we love them so much we would die for them. Knowing that this verse comes from the mouth of Jesus, we can find peace.
Jesus explains to His disciples and to His servants (that He is now calling friends), that there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for their friend. We could easily try and use our human morals to find a way to read this verse in a different light. Such as something less heavy, “Jesus means He would do anything for a friend,” or “He’s just saying He loves us.” However, this verse has more meaning in that Jesus is explaining how deep love should be and in that we can find eternal peace.
As we look back on Jesus’ death, we know that He did it for the sake of humanity. In 1 Peter 2:24, we read, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” This verse says it all, in that Jesus took away our debts, and sins, and brought us into a new state of wellness in the Spirit. Jesus is our true friend, showing us that His love is abounding in everything He does. I mean, what better friend than having One who gifted you and me with free access to eternal life with God? There is no one in my opinion.
The more I ponder on Christ’s devoted friendship to us, the more I realize the fact that friendship is a two-way street. How in the world can we be as good a friend to Jesus as He is to us? In all reality, we are not perfect and will never be perfect; however, that should never stop us from striving to be. Jesus says there is no greater love than laying down one’s life. Does this mean, we have to die in order to be a great friend? Well, technically yes, we do. Going back to the 1 Peter 2:24 verse, it says, “That we might die to sin.” When we ask Jesus to become our Lord and Savior, we are not only asking Him to wash away our sins, but we are repenting from our own ways of the flesh. When we make this promise with God and live by it, we will become dead to our old ways, or our old lives. This means that as we live a godly life, we are not only becoming one with the body, but becoming a new body in the Spirit. With that, we can also find peace.
When we truly ask Jesus to become our Lord and Savior and start living a life according to His will, we are stepping into a life where eternal peace in Heaven is our endgame. Jesus died on the Cross to not only wash away our sins, but to give us eternal life. As most of us know from our old Sunday School days, John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
If you have not fully repented of your old ways and promised a new life to Christ, do so today. It is a life where you die to sin and begin to live in the Spirit of God. I urge you to take that chance now and become a friend to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the One who promises us eternal life with Him when we confess with our mouths that He is Lord, and believe in our hearts that He rose again that third day. There is no greater love.
Posted in Upper Room
Recent
Archive
2023
January
Reach • Devotion 1Reach • Devotion 2Reach • Devotion 3Reach • Devotion 4Reach • Devotion 5Reach • Devotion 6Gather • Devotion 1Gather • Devotion 2Gather • Devotion 3Gather • Devotion 4Gather • Devotion 5Gather • Devotion 6Grow • Devotion 1Grow • Devotion 2Grow • Devotion 3Grow • Devotion 4Grow • Devotion 5Grow • Devotion 6Giving • Devotion 1Giving • Devotion 2Giving • Devotion 3Giving • Devotion 4Giving • Devotion 5Giving • Devotion 6Galatians 1Galatians 2
February
Galatians 3Galatians 4Galatians 5Galatians 6God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 1God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 2God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 3God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 4God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 5God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 6Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 1Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 2Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 3Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 4Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 5Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 6Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 1Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 2Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 3Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 4Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 5Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 6Delights • Devotion 1Delights • Devotion 2
March
Delights • Devotion 3Delights • Devotion 4Delights • Devotion 5Delights • Devotion 6Final Class • Devotion 1Final Class • Devotion 2Final Class • Devotion 3Final Class • Devotion 4Final Class • Devotion 5Final Class • Devotion 6A Place for You • Devotion 1A Place for You • Devotion 2A Place for You • Devotion 3A Place for You • Devotion 4A Place for You • Devotion 5A Place for You • Devotion 6The Helper • Devotion 1The Helper • Devotion 2The Helper • Devotion 3The Helper • Devotion 4The Helper • Devotion 5The Helper • Devotion 6True Vine • Devotion 1True Vine • Devotion 2True Vine • Devotion 3True Vine • Devotion 4True Vine • Devotion 5
April
True Vine • Devotion 6The World • Devotion 1The World • Devotion 2The World • Devotion 3The World • Devotion 4The World • Devotion 5The World • Devotion 6Peace • Devotion 1Peace • Devotion 2Peace • Devotion 3Peace • Devotion 4Peace • Devotion 5Peace • Devotion 6Focus on Jesus • Devotion 1Focus on Jesus • Devotion 2Focus on Jesus • Devotion 3Focus on Jesus • Devotion 4Focus on Jesus • Devotion 5Focus on Jesus • Devotion 6The Church at Ephesus • Devotion 1The Church at Ephesus • Devotion 2The Church at Ephesus • Devotion 3The Church at Ephesus • Devotion 4
Categories
Tags
no tags