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Weekly Wisdoms for the week of March 18, 2024

Sacrifice is the true measure of love.

The degree of one's love for someone is measured by the degree of his or her sacrifice for that person. When you deeply love someone, you'll do a lot of difficult, challenging, or painful things for him or her that you would never do for anyone else.

Jesus, even before his death, demonstrated his love for others by sacrificing for them. John 13:1 tells us: It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. In the next 15 verses, Jesus washes his disciples' feet -- a task usually performed by the lowliest servants. Yet Jesus, out of love, gave of himself in order to serve. Love means going out of your way to be a servant.

Sacrifice is exactly how we can measure God's love for us. As Romans 5:8 explains, God let his son, Jesus Christ, die so that every one of us could have the opportunity to be alive: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God demonstrates his love for us by his sacrifice for us.

In 1 John 3:16-17, we are presented with this same challenge: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. How can you love others if you're not sacrificing for them?

In your life, examine what you can do to serve others in order to show them true love -- God's love. Such love requires sacrifice.

You stand tallest on your knees.

Prayer is powerful. In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

When a child asks his or her parents for something, they will usually do almost anything just to answer the child's request. For example, if a baby starts crying for food, a good parent will drop everything in order to feed the little child.

When you ask your parents for something, they will probably be quite eager to help you. The Bible says that God is our heavenly Father—the best possible father. So, how much more do you think God is looking to answer your prayers?

Therefore, if you need to hear from God, "ask and it will be given to you."

James 5:16 says that "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Then, James gives an example of the power of prayer: "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (James 5:17-18). That's amazing power. But what gave Elijah such power? Prayer.

It is no wonder that in Matthew 21:21, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done."

Prayer is powerful. When you have unwavering faith in God, He will answer your prayers. That's why you stand tallest on your knees.