“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
John 15:12 (ESV)
Oh Lord, how heavy I find the weight of this statement! You do not ask for little––you ask for it all. To love as you have loved me, that is to lift a skyscraper. To pull down a mountain. To brush away an ocean.
For your love is sublime. Yes, Lord, you gave it all. How could I ever match your passion and sacrifice? How might I follow you to the cross? You gave it all, how could I manage the same?
But on the other hand, how could I offer anything less?
In honest view of your compassion, what could I ever keep back for myself? To hide away even a trinket, like a morsel of self-interest, seems utterly foolish in light of your bounty given at the cross. The blood of the God-man was spilled for sin. All the Universe’s riches poured into the deep wouldn’t compare to even the first ounce of heavenly blood spilled from your side. What could I keep in comparison to what I have already gained?
Help your servants give of their lives and love each other––as you loved us.
J. A. Syverson 