No Greater Love

“Greater love has no one than this,

that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13

In the opening scene to the movie “Vertical Limit” viewers are treated to some of the most beautiful scenery and mind-blowing rock climbing feats that have ever been put on film. Rock climbers are a special breed of men and women who after years of training coupled with nerves of steel are able to “go where no man has ever gone before”. Moments after the movie begins you see a rock climbing team consisting of a father and his son and daughter. While climbing a very difficult mountain cliff, a series of events unfold, beginning with interference from other climbing teams mistakes which cause the family team to ultimately end up suspended in mid-air held in the rock by just a few clamps. The father, being the most experienced of the three, tries to keep his children calm and instructs them as to what they should do. When all else fails to work he explains to his son, who is in the middle, that the only hope for him and his sister to survive is to cut him loose and let him fall because the clamps would not hold that much weight much longer.

After a heart wrenching struggle and difficult obedience to his father’s love, mixed with his experience and convincing words, he cut him loose. The father fell to his death and the brother and sister survived.

In eternity, a conversation took place between a Father and Son. The Father told His Son that the only way to save you and me would be for Him to “cut Him loose” and come to the earth and die. With a heart wrenching decision that must have shook heaven and earth, Father God send His Son, Jesus to this earth with the ultimate purpose being to be killed so that you and I could be saved.

Unlike the story in the film, God’s story of sacrificial love provides us with not only temporal life, but eternal life if we accept His free gift of salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s take a moment today, this week and meditate on how great the Father’s love must have been and is for us, that He would “cut the rope” on His only Son and sacrifice Him for you and me. Then use that time and those thoughts as a spring board towards a time of praise and worship to the greatest Father we could ever have. To Him be all the glory, honor and praise forever and ever, Amen!!!

Blessings,
Pastor MJ