When To Lay Down Our Lives

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:12-14)

Jesus said that His friends do the things He commands them. And one of those things is laying down our lives for our friends. So are our children even more than friends? Of course, they are. That means if we were in a situation where they were in trouble, we would do what we could to rescue them. We would even go so far as to give our lives for their safety. There have been so many things we have already accomplished, and they have their lives ahead of them still. So for us to go to be with the Lord and for them to be unharmed is the least we could do. This is loving one another as Jesus loves us. He laid down His life for us on the cross, and this is a great example for us to do the same if it was necessary. I’ll give you a few examples when God may call upon us to give our lives for others. One reason is during pregnancy, giving this the reason why abortion is always evil. The life of the baby is worth giving our lives for, even though this decision is hard.

Let me give you a few examples of when would be a good time to lay down your life for your friends and family. #1. During times of war. It is better to save lives of others, then to lose our own. #2. During periods of persecution. If we had to give our lives to free the lives of others, we may be asked to do this. #3. During times of having a baby. If you were told to make a decision to keep your baby or stay alive, what would you do? Dying for the baby is what matters. What does this all mean? It means that our lives don’t last forever, but our time with the Lord does. If we have fulfilled God’s will, then giving it up for His sake is what God asks of us. This is a hard ask for sure, but through the Spirit of the Lord we can do all things. Our strength comes from God. When we pass away, our faith will justify us and grant us access to heaven through the pearly gates. As for now, it is important to be God’s friend and do what He says. We do this in this life and the next. Amen.