Counting the Days: December 13, 2023
Taylor Vann ’16, Ed.D.
Director, Academic & Career Advising
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Reflection
One of the most well-known verses in scripture, John 3:16, reminds readers of the love God has for humanity and the sacrifices He was willing to make for us to have eternal life. This is God’s greatest gift to the world. The peace between Heaven and Earth. God loved humans so much he was willing to make salvation available to all through Jesus Christ. He made the ultimate sacrifice so that all who believe in him will have everlasting life.
However, later in John, Chapter 15, this gift is expressed through Jesus as he speaks to his disciples. He states, “Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). Jesus is explaining the sacrifice they now know he is about to make. He is showing the world the kind of love He has for us. This framework is how we are supposed to live our lives.
We are to sacrifice our wants and desires for the benefit of those around us. Rather than continuing to fight for things in vain, we act in the interests that benefit everyone. That is how we are supposed to be known, by our love and sacrifice. Jesus poured out his heart for his friends and displayed the pattern of love for which we should model every day. We serve others because God made it possible by serving us. If we love and sacrifice as Jesus did, we can also change the world as He did.
Be a reflection of God’s love and sacrifice.