Sacrificial Love

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 John 3:16).”

What does your “I love you” really mean? Does it mean that “I’m here for you", "I’m committed to you", "I won’t neglect you”? It is a question worthy of consideration. When two people decide to marry they are saying “I love you” but what happens if after a few years the love fades, the affection fades, the commitment is gone; did they really love you? Hearing "I love you" doesn’t always mean the same from one person to another. Saying "I love you" to get something from another is not love. Love is being in a relationship with another, it is dedication, a sense of responsibility, it is sacrifice.

Sacrificial love is clearly seen when God sent His Son. It was His whole motivation in sending Him. Jesus gave all of Himself! It was a sacrifice sealed with blood. It was God looking at us and saying, “I love you”. That is what true love looks like.

“A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in his love than in your weakness.” Mother Teresa