"There is no greater love than to lay down
one's life for one's friends." – John 15:12 (NLT)
In July of 1941, the prisoners of Auschwitz concentration camp lined up for evening roll call, only to discover that a prisoner was missing. The next morning, when the escaped prisoner had not been found, the remaining prisoners were lined up for the captain to decide which prisoners would be sentenced to death by starvation, as a warning to the rest of the camp not to attempt another escape.
The captain condemned 10 men to die. One of the condemned men, named Franciszek Gajowniczek, a Jewish sergeant in the Polish army, sobbed uncontrollably, wailing, “My poor wife! My poor children!”
Moved by Gajowniczek’s pleas for mercy, fellow prisoner and Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe, volunteered to take his place. The Nazi commander, while surprised by the request, chose to allow Kolbe to die in Gajowniczek’s place.
The night before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples, “There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." Jesus shared these words with His disciples for a couple of reasons: One, so that they would know how much He loved them, and two, so that they would know what it looks like to show real love to others.
Real love is sacrificial. Jesus gave His life to save ours. Kolbe expressed Christ-like love for a man he never met by trading places with him in the concentration camp.
You and I will probably never be called upon to die for someone else, but we can show sacrificial love by setting aside our comfort, preferences and resources to serve someone in our lives today. At the heart of love is sacrifice. When we sacrifice for someone, however small that sacrifice might be, we show them the kind of love that Jesus showed us on the cross.
“Real love is sacrificial.”
Tip of the Day
Practice sacrificial love today by choosing to give up something in your life so that someone else can benefit. It could be as simple as letting someone ahead of you in line, paying for the coffee of the person behind you, or doing a chore for someone at home so they can have extra time to rest.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have been like for You and Him. Help me today to show real love to someone in my life today by sacrificing something for them. Use me to be Your hands and feet to someone in my world today. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
Pause and Reflect
How does the story of Maximilian Kolbe's sacrificial act reflect the concept of laying down one's life for another, as mentioned in John 15:12?
In what ways can you incorporate sacrificial love into your daily life, considering both significant and smaller acts of sacrifice?
Reflect on a moment in your life when someone's sacrificial love had a profound impact on you. How did that experience influence your understanding of love and sacrifice?
