The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.”

—John 15:12–13

We normally see this second verse in reference to Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross, and that’s certainly part of its meaning.

But when we see it in context, we realize that Jesus was speaking not only of the way he would die for others, but of the way he lived for them—the way he had loved them throughout his life.

That makes this verse much more difficult to live up to. There are many people for whom we might die if it came to saving them from a fire, but with whom we cannot bring ourselves to spend a civil evening.

We must not only be willing to die for that prisoner, stranger, homeless person, grumpy neighbor, or demanding family member; we must also be willing to live for them. We must be ready to do not only the grand gestures that might gain fanfare, but to continue in lovingkindness that may never be noticed despite the constant pressure of an unappreciative spouse, a rebellious child, or a spiteful coworker.

This looks like laying down our day–by–day wants, our selfishness, our irritation, and our pride in order to love them well. 

Whether we would die for someone is rarely tested; whether we will live for them is a daily practice of self–control, humility, and love.

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