Oswald Chambers – in his “My Utmost for His Highest” shares this text and idea -

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend … I have called you friends. John 15:13, 15

The idea Chambers shares is that point of the text that it isn’t that one die but that one lays down their life. He writes –

“God saves a man and endues him with the Holy Spirit, and then says in effect—‘Now work it out, be loyal to Me, whilst the nature of things round about you would make you disloyal.’ “I have called you friends.” Stand loyal to your Friend, and remember that His honour is at stake in your bodily life.” *

It is rather easy to die. Many will say – I will die for Christ. And that is admirable I will say. But it is really hard in this life, in this day and age, to LIVE for Christ by laying down our lives and taking up His cross. Sure, we die to “self” but we live for the Savior. In our world we find it really difficult to live it day in and day out. We are confronted by temptations, we are confronted by criticism, we are confronted by possible ridicule and frankly it would be easier if once we were saved that God would take us out of this world. But for purposes greater than our own life – He leaves us here for His plan. If you are dead there is not temptation. If you are dead there is no criticism, for we do not speak ill of the deceased. If you are dead there is no struggle.

So the real “heros” are those who live day by day laying down their life, laying down their preferences, laying down their plans for the friend they have in Jesus. It does take courage, it does take faith and trust to LIVE for Christ everyday. But what a friend we have in Jesus and we can trust that HE died for us so that we can LIVE for Him.

 

 

* Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.