Common Sense Reborn

May 29

¹²My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  ¹³Greater love has no one than this:  to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command.  (John 15:12-14, The Jesus Bible)

It is Memorial Day.  I have tried to get into the habit of not saying “Happy Memorial Day” as I have grown into the maturity of understanding what this day is about.  For many in this country, Memorial Day is a solemn reminder of their loved one(s), who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our comforts, freedom, and liberty in this country.  So whether you are at the beach, having a BBQ, or spending the day visiting memorials and museums, always take time to pause and remember the lives lost, the blood spilled, and the brave few that went forward to fight for and defend liberties around the world.

Jesus was the ultimate example of a warrior fighting for the freedom of the world.  Jesus laid down His life to set all of mankind free.  He paid the ultimate price for our sins, because He loved us all.  As the verses show above, there is no greater love than to lay your life down for your friends.  Jesus instructed that to be His friend, all you had to do was what He commanded, and He commanded that we love each other as Jesus loved us.  It is that simple:  Love everyone.  I am sure most of us would be willing to lay our lives down for those we love: for our immediate family, for our children, for our spouse, for our best friends, even for our co-workers.  But Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, love strangers, love those different than us as we loved ourselves and those listed in the last sentence.  Laying down your life for the widow, the poor, the broken, the lost, and those who hate you, that is what Jesus commanded.  And that is what we remember today, all those who stepped forward to defend liberty and freedom around the world and paid that ultimate price.

May you all have a blessed day and always remember just how much Jesus loves you.  He wants you to know that He could not love you any more than He does right now. No matter how much you may think you do not deserve it, Jesus loved you so much He laid down His life for YOU.  Click the image below to hear the new single from CAIN, and remember to “take a look at the cross, then you’ll know it for sure” that Jesus “couldn’t love you anymore than” He does right now.