John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
I just love that verse!
It really puts our faith in perspective, doesn’t it?
If you truly love someone, then you’re willing to lay down your life for theirs. That’s what Jesus did for each and every one of us, (Joh 10:11, Rom 5:6-8, Eph 5:2). Jesus perished on the cross for our sins. Yes, He became an everlasting sacrifice to atone for our sins.
Jesus did it, because He loves you.
With that thought in mind, a couple of weeks back, we had dinner with some of our friends. They’re fantastic people, you’d love them! While we enjoyed a fine home cooked meal together, our friend said,
“Do you know what joy stands for?”
We all looked puzzled, and then he said…
- Jesus
- Others
- Yourself
So there it is!
“Jesus” Christ should always come first in our lives. We should place Him above our country, our friends, and even our family.
Do you know why?
Jesus Christ is our family.
In fact, when you accept Him, you are officially placed into God’s family. Within God’s eternal family, there is no hatred or malice, there’s never any family problems. I’m sure we all long for that day, so we place Him first to honor Christ’s sacrifice and enjoy the blessings that salvation brings.
Never forget it.
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You know, with our busy lives, it’s easy to get sidetracked at times, but don’t get sidetracked for too long. Otherwise, as quick as those blessings show up in your life, they can vanish. Place Jesus first in your life.
The next thing we have is, “Others…”
As a Christian, we’re supposed to think about our brothers and sisters in Christ. We’re supposed to treat them with respect and dignity, and we’re supposed to lift them up and build them. That’s why we place other people before us, especially our family, and our Christian brothers and sisters.
Hey, this world is a tough place, and some people need a little more help than others.
So be that someone who will fill in the gap to help someone out.
Last but not least, “Yourself.”
Even little ol you has a place in all of this. So while you’re serving Jesus Christ, and helping other people, never forget to take care of yourself. I’m talking about your health, your fitness, and your spiritual and mental well being. All of those things are extremely important, and far too often, we forget about them or put them off.
Hey, health is wealth.
If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.
So while you work to the bone, ensure you set some time aside for yourself. Make sure to enjoy the simple things in life that bring you happiness.