Laying Down My Life

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.
~ John 15:12-13

Reflection
Jesus tells us to love each other and then clarifies what that looks like by saying the greatest way to love one another is to lay down your life. What does Jesus mean by this? When Jesus laid down his life on the cross it meant we had a way to be forgiven from our sins. Romans 3:23-24 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." He laid down his rights and instead put our needs before his own.

In our safe, suburban San Ramon Valley, how do we lay down our lives for others? I think the biggest way is by forgiving them. Are there people in your life who have hurt you or offended you? Jesus calls us to love and forgive everyone. As Tim Keller writes in The Reason for God, "forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering." Keller states there is a debt that you are absorbing and you are taking the cost of it completely on yourself instead of taking it out on the other person. It can hurt terribly but this is what Jesus did for us. He suffered so that we could be forgiven.

The strength and desire to forgive should come from an overflow of our love for God, not because it's something we feel we should do in order to be a good Christian. I identify with this quote from Francis Chan's Crazy Love: "The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him-and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by." I need to remind myself daily of the great cost of Christ's sacrifice! He died for me! Our response should be gratitude that overflows in love and causes us to want to follow Him. This love for God gives us the strength to live as He did and forgive others.

Another way to lay down our lives for others is to put their needs before our own. In Philippians 2:3-5, Paul writes, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." Whether that be something small, like letting someone in front of you in traffic or in the grocery store, or as large as sharing credit for a project at work or paying for a school or orphanage to be built in a third world country, we need to think of others' needs more than our own. That is not something that comes naturally. We need God's help.

Response
1. Is there anyone who you need to forgive?
2. How can you put others needs before your own today?
3. Pray for God to reveal himself to you and for you to realize how much you truly need God.

About the Author
Jen Scales Morlan married Brian Morlan in May 2009 and they live in San Ramon. Jen has been helping with the high school youth group since 2004 and looks forward to going on another Mexico trip this year. She and Brian are a part of the 20s/30s group and participate in a small group. Jen works for Allstate Insurance as a Senior Claims Service Adjuster.

Abiding In The Vine

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
~ John 15:5-11

Reflection

Abiding in the Vine in order to bear fruit means continuing in Jesus in order to accomplish His will here on earth. In practical terms, how do I do that?

When I asked myself that question, I was reminded of the fundraiser for the Valley Pregnancy Center just a few weeks ago. When I arrived at church, I took the baby bottle, put in a $20 bill and gave it back right away that same morning. The next day, God told me that I had clearly missed the point. Now, I don't hear God's voice audibly, but I suddenly realized what God wanted. The point, I believe now, was that each time I dropped in my change, I would be reminded of why I was doing it and who it was for. And each time I could have prayed, even just a small prayer, for the people involved: the young woman with the crisis pregnancy, the unborn child of God, and the young man whose life was also changed.

Truly I was not abiding in Jesus. I was going through the motions of being a good Christian, doing my obligation, but not bearing fruit for Jesus. I was checking it off my to-do list. I was doing it for me. Talk about a dead branch! I was missing the peace of knowing that I was obeying God, being closer to God, thinking about Him, opening myself up to what He wants me to do. I was missing the blessing of caring about other people, and they were missing the blessings of being prayed for.

Abiding requires asking Jesus, "What do I do next?" It requires that we listen for His answer. Don't just ask the question, automatically rely on Him. Jesus wants to be fully in our lives, to the point where we don't have to remind ourselves that it is natural to think of Him first. Abiding means that Jesus moves in and takes up residence.

He wants us to love him. He wants us to do his will. And doing that brings joy, not only to us but to everyone we touch and, most of all, to Him.

Response

1. Pray through your to-do list, asking Jesus for guidance.
2. Then watch and listen throughout the day for the Lord's response and the blessings of bearing fruit for Him.

About the Author

Bobi Vieira and husband, Bob, have been attending Canyon Creek Church for 13 years. They have two grown children, Liane and Andrea. Bobi has been a volunteer for Gospel for Asia, working mission events in Northern California for the past five years.

First Things First

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
~ Mark 12:28-29

Reflection

When Jesus answers the teacher's question, He says loving God is the most important commandment and loving your neighbor is a close second. Is this order deliberate? Is it possible to love others without first loving God wholeheartedly? Our experience says, yes. People who never love God can still love children, husbands, wives, mothers, siblings, friends-all the same folks that Christians love. Christians should recognize, however, that human love, without the power of the Holy Spirit behind it, is a mere shadow of what God intends.

True love, like true faith, is a product of the Holy Spirit. When I came to faith, I accepted the Holy Spirit into my soul. His presence transforms me into God's child and begins to mold my character and will. The Spirit pours God's love into me, empowering me to love as God loves.

1 John 4:7-8 explains this: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

And, Romans 5:5 is similar: And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Knowing this, it becomes easier to understand why God expects us to love our enemies and to be perfect (Matthew 5:43-48). That's exactly how God operates! He loves sinners perfectly by sending His son Jesus to the cross to die on our behalf (John 3:16). We will not be perfect until we reach Heaven, but our mission as believers is to keep striving toward that goal by loving as God loves, and thus making Him visible to others. Oswald Chambers says in My Utmost for His Highest, "The expression of Christian character is not good doing, but God-likeness" (p. 264).

Response

1. Do you have first things first?
2. Have you first allowed the Spirit of God to pour God's love into your heart?
Or are you trying to love others on your own power?

About the Author

Renee Olsen and husband Jim have been members of Canyon Creek Church since 1993. They have two adult children, Joanna and Joey (who is married to Lindsey). Renee is a professional editor who helps maintain the church web site. She has led many small groups over the years and is trained as a Bible Study Fellowship teaching leader.

Why Jesus is our victory and not one another.

The Greatest Commandment

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

Reflection

I know that loving God is important, and here Jesus tells me it is the most important commandment He has given us. It sounds simple enough, but anyone who has loved or been loved has some history of disappointment, hurt, sorrow, or betrayal in a personal relationship. We can become defensive in relationships because of past hurts. I know I have.

God doesn't want defensiveness. On closer examination this commandment requires a complete surrender of our internal life. God is requiring a fully devoted, all-encompassing kind of love. Loving God is a refining, purifying experience. Biblical love is a decision of the will. It means loving God when you feel there is no love in your heart for anyone. It is a dedicated, intentional, committed love. We have to trust Him. Hardened hearts fall into trouble.

There was a time in my life when I was fighting cancer. I was between treatments, having just finished chemo and waiting for radiation. My doctor gave me a longer break because my first grandchild was due. Calvin was born with some life-threatening heart issues and was airlifted to Stanford for surgery when he was four days old. My brain couldn't remember any Scripture to calm myself at the hospital, but the Holy Spirit brought this phrase into my mind: "I know my God is just." I repeated it often in the confusing, exhausting days that followed. I wasn't relying on my feelings about God to trust Him. I was choosing to rely on what I knew about His character. I knew that whatever the outcome, God was just, and that could never change.

Loving God helps me get closer to an understanding of who I am and the God I belong to. He wants true intimacy from me, not my defensive, "I can take care of myself!" kind of thinking. In The Sacred Journey, Frederick Buechner says that you can survive, grow strong and even prevail on your own, but you cannot become human on our own. As we come to an understanding of how to love God, things fall into place. We begin to understand our humanness as God defines it.

God created us to have a deep, intimate, God-glorifying relationship with Him. That won't happen until we are satisfied with Him. There is a lot of competition for ways to feel satisfied in our culture, but they are imitations of the real thing. We need to be truly and deeply satisfied by God alone.

Response

1. With my heart: Am I desiring God as intimately as He desires me?
2. With my soul: Am I striving to identify with Christ or the world today?
3. With my mind: How am I doing with surrendering my mind to thinking Biblically?
4. With my strength: Am I able to acknowledge my weakness and find the source of my strength in God?

Pride and Humility

Today’s Reading
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
~ Mark 10:35-45

Reflection
Do you wonder where James and John got the audacity to ask Jesus to place them at his right and left hand in his glorious rule!? It appears that the human nature of prideful, self-interest, so prevalent in our 21st century existence, was alive and well even during the time of Jesus’ earthly life 2000 years ago. It is amazing to think that the apostles, who walked with Jesus and witnessed his Godly character of servitude, were still driven to attain positions of authority over others, and to achieve prideful recognition instead of humbly serving one another.

In our society, conceit and pride is too often synonymous with success. Earthly achievements often lead to an inflated self-view. This focus on “self” frequently is followed by destruction – the list is many: Tiger Woods, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, former presidential candidate, John Edwards, and the list goes on. This affliction of our human nature does not touch only the rich and powerful, but resides in us all. It is a trap that we as Christians, can be lured into, particularly with today’s societal pressures and self-centered culture. I have seen the affliction in myself many times over the years, particularly in my work life. I have caught myself looking down at a co-worker or business acquaintance, making a judgment based on MY perception of their value or ability in certain situations.

In his book Mere Christianity, author C.S. Lewis states that the greatest sin of all is pride (or self-conceit), and its opposite virtue in Christian morals is humility. The important point to remember is that pride exists in all of us, and we must constantly strive to be humble, serve our fellow man, and do everything for the glory of God. I have found that I am most humbled when I look at my existence here in the San Ramon Valley. It is very humbling to have the realization that purely by the grace of God (and nothing of my own doing), that I was born in a country where wealth and opportunity abound, instead of one of many countries where severe human oppression or poverty rule.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, “As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

Response
1. Have you been in a situation where you have been humbled by a leader or mentor? What did you learn through that experience?

2. Today, do you think you are looking up with humility or down with pride?

Jamie Williamson spent his childhood and college years in central Illinois, and has now lived in San Ramon for roughly 16 years. I have been married to my wonderful wife Susie for 27 years and have three children, Emma (22), Alex (20), and Annie (19). I have been a member of CCPC for more than 10 years, and my favorite hobbies are golf, reading, travel, and watching the Giants win.

Assurance of His Love

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise." ~ Mark 10:32-34

Reflection
Having already twice predicted his death (Cf. 8:31; 9:31), Jesus in his final prediction reassures his disciples (and ourselves) that he was fully aware of his fate that lie ahead. First, in Mark Chapter 8, Jesus claims that "he must be killed and after three days rise again." Again in chapter 9 Jesus says, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." Yet in this last prediction, Jesus not only offers a more vivid account of his imminent death, but also a profound insight into the vast assurance of his love for us.

Mark is my favorite Gospel. This in part because it's the shortest gospel, but mainly due to the portrayal of Christ as a man of action. Mark's constant use of words like "immediately" convey a sense of urgency as well as purpose in all that Jesus sets out to accomplish. This most certainly is the case in this passage, as Jesus is walking ahead, leading the pack with a resolute determination to complete his mission. Fully aware of the brutal reality that had been foretold (Isa. 53:1-12), yet still having decisively set his face "like a flint" (Isa. 50:7) in his journey towards Jerusalem. What is Jesus so determined to accomplish? Mark 10:45 lays this out clearly. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The description of the disciples and crowd following Jesus as both "amazed" and "afraid" reveals the magnitude of this situation. Having already described the cruel death that awaited him, no wonder his followers are in shock that he was unwavering with his resolve. Especially given his own awareness of the violent and graphic nature of his condemnation. In this last prediction, Jesus is the most detailed about his death. Specifically mentioning that he would be mocked (Luke 23:11), spat upon (Mark 14:65), and flogged (Mark 15:15). The term "flog" or "scourged" means to beat severely with a whip, and was the reputable beating given to those condemned to death in the Roman judicial system.

What could possibly drive someone to this end? How could anyone definitively and willingly enter into this indescribable suffering? On the cross, Christ endured a torment and cosmic rejection beyond our comprehension. As the only worthy substitute, he bore the exclusion from God that the human race deserved. And he could have stopped it! He could have ended the torture, the rejection, the suffering, the abandonment, at any moment. All he had to do was give up on us, and walk away. Yet nailed to the cross dying, bleeding, agonizing, and staring down at those betraying him, in the greatest act of love in all history, he stayed.

Having known what lay ahead, Jesus still remained steadfast to suffer in love, never letting go of us. Even hell itself could not separate his love from us. No matter what hardship comes our way, we know it can't be that God doesn't love us. The reassurance is at the cross. I have come to believe this incredible story is true. God loves me and I can never be separated from that love. Do you believe it?
"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." - C.S. Lewis


Response
1. Jesus offers himself as the sacrifice. Why is sacrifice at the heart of real love?
2. Why didn't Jesus just let go of us?