Worth dying for.

"...the words, 'I love you' can mean, 'I love me and want to use you to love me more.'"

-Paul Ramsey

This morning in church, as part of the sermon, we were asked to turn to our neighbor(s) and tell them that they are worth dying for. We all are. If we weren't, then why would Christ have died for us? His love redeems us and makes us worthy. Our love is called to mimic the love that Jesus has for us. So consider this: Are your relationships, romantic or otherwise, in equilibrium? Do you love that person wholeheartedly, for them? Or do you have ulterior, selfish motives? Though it may seem like a silly question to ask yourself, I challenge you to do it anyway. I know that I myself have acted out of "love" while ultimately looking for more attention to be focused on myself. Though I hate that confession, I am not ashamed to admit it. I have asked for God's forgiveness on the occasions that this has occurred, and I know that Has, and is continuing to, transform my heart. I know that my friends are worth dying for, and I need to tell them that more often. The intensity of that truth is evident, yet I think it makes it all the more beautiful. Know that you are loved, and be that love in return.

" ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

{1 John 4:9-10}