NO GREATER LOVE

John 15:13

Morning Meditation 12/28/14

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

God is incomprehensible. Therefore, our understanding of Him must be based on faith in the revelation of Himself and faith in what His death and resurrection accomplished.

When Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this," He is revealing His love which motivated His death. By these words our Lord shows, how far love to another should extend, even to the laying down of our lives for the brethren; which is the highest

instance of love among men.

John 13:1, "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

In only a little time the disciples would understand what He meant.. It was too much for them at the time. However, Jesus deemed it necessary to prepare them for His death and as time passed for them they would look back on His Words and the light would begin to shine.

Jesus laid aside his glory and royal majesty when He came to earth. But now he lays down his life; not his gold and silver, and the riches of this world, which were all his, but his life.

He was their surety and substitute, and standing in their legal place and stead, he took their sins upon him, bore the curse of the law. He sustained his Father's wrath, and

all the punishment due to sin; and so suffered death, the death of the cross; the just, in the room and stead of the unjust; the persons for whom be laid down his life, are described as "his friends."

His love in dying for his people is greater than any instance of love among men.

Grace is defined in the words of Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Not only did He die for His friends, He died for His enemies. Romans 5:9-11, "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."

The word "atonement" translates, "katallage," and means, "the adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favor." When Jesus died on the cross He made an adjustment of the differences between man and God. Only He had the power to do this. And He was willing to do this because of His love for us.

Do you feel loved? My dear friend, you are loved whether you feel it or not. Feeling is not an unconditional evidence of His love. There are times we feel loved and times we feel that God is a million miles away. God is never apart from His people. He loves us, and is free to do so without compromising His holiness and justice. The price has been paid. It is just a matter of time that we will see Him face to face and that meeting will be an eternal meeting in which we will never be separated again.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

There is no greater love than this and there is no greater comfort that to be encouraged by Him to comfort ourselves by the promise of His returned.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White