Those Who Live Without Love

Today is an important day.

As a Christian, this particular Friday holds a very special place in my heart. And that’s because, 2000 years ago, Jesus gave His life for us right around this time. We call it Good Friday.

After three years of ministry, Jesus’ time had finally come. On this fateful Friday all those years ago, He allowed Himself to be killed in the most horrible way – so that we could spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Jesus sacrificed Himself for us.

Of any sacrifice that has ever been made in history, this one was undoubtedly the hardest, but most fulfilling. Jesus had to experience things that go beyond imagining, all because He loved us.

Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to lay down His life not just for those He loved – but also for those who were His enemies. I don’t think anyone else would ever have considered dying for those who deliberately worked against them.

But Jesus did.

I got to spread Jesus’ love this week.

At my church, every Spring Break we High Schoolers (those of us who choose to) can participate in a “local missions trip”. So this last Monday through Thursday I went to church each morning, and on most of the afternoons we got to spread Jesus’ love someplace in the community. We even went to a homeless shelter to perform a small chapel service.

As part of the service, I was asked to read a verse that held significance for me. I chose Romans 5:8, which says, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” It’s a verse that reflects the heart behind what we did this past week.

It was both a great experience in a faith-building way and also a really cool opportunity to go out with 30+ other teens and be the literal hands and feet of Jesus. Seeing people’s reactions to His love made it so worth it.

Yeah, sure I didn’t get to relax on my Spring Break. But you know what, who needs to rest when Jesus’ message needs to be spread?

Mission fields are everywhere.

Participating in a mini-missions trip is just one of the infinite ways we can be a light to others. Your workplace is also a mission field, as is your school. Do you play a sport or attend a club? Well, there’s another place. What about the grocery store or your local mall?

Jesus died to give us an opportunity for salvation. It would really suck if that message wasn’t spread to the world because of our timidity (just saying). It’s not easy – living for Jesus is hard. But that’s why it’s so vital we do it.

Everybody must learn what He did.

As Albus Dumbledore (from Harry Potter) once said, “Do not pity the dead… Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.”

There are so, so many people who currently live without the love of Jesus in their lives. There are so, so many people who have never heard about the things He went through to make Good Friday truly good.

Jesus commands us to love others.

As John 13:34-35 (NIV) says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus Himself asks us to love others. I got an opportunity to do that for a week, and it made such a difference in my walk with Jesus. Imagine what your life could be like if you made it your mission to spread His message.

“We love because He first loved us.”