Dr. Dan Hayden • 

“That was nice – what possessed you to do that?” “Well, I did it just for you.” You know that makes it even more special!

One of the wonderful things about The Gospel of Christ is that it is so personal. Christianity is not a religion—it’s a relationship—a personal relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ.

I John 3:16 says, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

It’s that little word “for” that intrigues me today. In each case it is the Greek preposition huper. Huper, when used with the genetive case as it is here, means “in behalf of; for the sake of.” He laid down His life “on behalf of” us. We ought to lay down our lives for the sake of others.

 

Now this means that God’s kind of love has more to do with giving than it does with receiving. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

Our world talks about love. But most often they talk about it in terms of what they can get, not in terms of what they can give. The love of Christ, on the other hand, is a giving love. “He laid down His life for us.” And His love for us ought also to be His love through us. “We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” So, do it for her – do it for him. We know true love because it gives.

So, are you living for yourself or for the Lord?