Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
There are many commandments in the Bible. Jesus taught us, however, that two of them stand above the others. An expert in religious law had asked him, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments,” (Matthew 22:36-40).
What about Jesus Himself? Did Jesus follow His own teaching on love? Our verse for today has the answer. He did. Indeed, He set a stellar example in this regard. He lived a life full of love. He loved the Lord God by obeying Him, even though the Lord expected Him to offer Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins (Matthew 26:39). He loved his neighbors by his willingness to actually die for us. He didn’t have to do it, but He did it anyway. He loved us enough to go through the pain and humiliation that all of it meant (Hebrews 12:2).
The Apostle Paul says we should follow the example of Jesus. We should, that is, be filled with love. How far does this go? It goes as far as the example Jesus set. We should be willing to give our lives for our neighbors. Few of us will be asked to go that far, but we should be ready to go that far if necessary. We must always be ready to turn from our selfish ways, take up our crosses daily, and follow Jesus’ example (Luke 9:23).
Jesus’ obedience to the laws of love teaches us that there is much more to life than the mere satisfaction of our own wants and desires. Further, it teaches us that if we’re ready to follow Him in this regard, even to the point of giving our lives for our neighbors, then it will be pleasing to God the Father.
