Score Keeper

 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

1st John 3:16a NIV

I've lived long enough to know and understand the rules of good sportsmanship, but I'll just tell you... I don't like to lose. When I play, I play to win. I don't go into a game to lose. 

As much I dislike losing, I absolutely HATE it if someone lets me win. Where's the challenge in that? In my opinion, a win I didn't earn is a bigger loss than actually losing. But the challenge in all of that is Christ. I can't earn my salvation and yet, that's the biggest win of all.

Have you ever found yourself keeping score on your life? I have. If you know me personally, you've heard me say something like, "I should get points for not smacking that person (when I really want to...)" "I should get points for not saying ___________(something smart alecky, I'm sure)." "I want points for not ripping their wagging tongue right outta their mouth and hanging them with it."   

In all reality, that's like keeping score on the sin in my life. The more I keep score, the more I realize, it's a heart issue. And then I think, if Jesus laid down His life for us and that's how we know what love is (according to our text for today), then, in return, I should lay down my life for Him, right? After all, He died to save me. Sure, I can lay my life down for Him.  Sounds good...okay...but it's not Scriptural. We're instructed to lay down our lives for others... 

The entire verse of 1st John 3:16 reads, This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. Mark 12:28-31 reads, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."  John 15:13 tells us, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 

You wanna keep score? yeah...me, neither...

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the Cross for the remission of our sins. Help us to grow in love and when we are faced with those opportunities to love the unloveable, please help us to see them for what they are. An opportunity to show Your love through us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen