The Upper Room Devotional 11th November 2023 Message
The Upper Room Devotional 11th November 2023 , Saturday Message by Lauren Herth (Kentucky, USA)
TOPIC: Sacrifice
TODAY’S READING
John 15:9-17
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13 (NIV)
I was recently out of town with my family, and since it was Sunday, we visited a church in the area. Before the sermon began, there were a few moments of thanks for those who had served in our country’s armed forces and made the ultimate sacrifice — their lives.
I have seen many similar dedications, but that memorial struck me differently than any had before. Long after the service ended, the scripture at the end of the memorial video played in my mind: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This verse reminds us that Christ laid down his life to save all humanity from sin. Giving up one’s life is an extreme way to show love, but this verse made me wonder, What does sacrifice look like in daily life?
Many weeks after that worship service, I am still pondering that verse. Even if I am not laying down my physical life for my friends, I can go out of my way to show kindness not only to my loved ones but also to my neighbor across the street, the person at the grocery store, or an acquaintance I happen to see in town. Laying down one’s life, or simply laying down one’s busy schedule in order to show God’s love to others, is a habit worth embracing.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for giving us the example of ultimate sacrifice through Christ. Help us to sacrifice time throughout our day to share your love with others. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I will sacrifice my time to serve others today.
PRAYER FOCUS
Military veterans
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together.
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