Living for others not as sacrifice but as who we are

In John 15, Jesus is having a conversation with his disciples. In the conversation he basically says, hey guys, if you're in this life thing with me, then we are one. There is no hierarchy here. There is no batting order. There is simply friendship. And friendship looks like this:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Of course, we know shortly after, Jesus would indeed give his life for his friends. Thousands of years after the fact, I'm grateful to be considered one of those friends.

Understandably, Christ giving his life for his friends is a cornerstone in the Christian narrative. Christ died and on the third day he rose again and as Christians we cling to that story for dear life. As we should.

Here's the thing we miss sometimes, though. This whole "greater love has no one" idea wasn't just a so long speech that Christ offered, it was how he lived his life and regarded his friends long before the day came when he actually lived out his parting words.

Whenever I have to sum up the gospel, I usually say something along the lines of Christ going town to town to demonstrate the importance of living life for others.

Living for others is love. It's joy. It's the only purpose that will ever bring fulfillment.

Jesus lived his life demonstrating that long before he put the exclamation point on his life.

I think maybe we look at that declaration about friendship and immediately jump to wondering, would I give my life for my friends? I think the better question might be am I willing to pour myself into loving and knowing the people around me enough where that becomes a reasonable consideration.

Maybe even an afterthought.

Jesus went around loving people before he said I'd die for you. He spent his time loving them in spite of who they were long before he said I'll die for you in spite of who you are.

Today, as we remember our military members who have lost their lives in service to others, I always think about the attitude they approached that service with more than the actual sacrifice of life.

In one moment of service, they sacrificed their lives for their friends and country. But for countless minutes and hours and days and years prior to that, they lived with a willingness to do that. Every day. For the entirety of their service, they said you all are worth laying down my life for.

Giving their lives for me and you, it wasn't a selfless act of courage. Giving their lives was just the exclamation point on the way they'd lived their lives for others all along.