1 John 3:11,14,17-18 “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? …let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.2” (ESV)
On February 3, 1943, while transporting troops, the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank in less than 30 minutes. Survivors recounted that four chaplains aboard the defenseless cargo ship stayed calm, passing out life vests in the midst of chaos. As the ship sank, all four, realizing there were not enough life vests for everyone, gave theirs away, saving more lives.
Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35)2. (ESV)
Left to ourselves, our love doesn’t run very deep. When you’re with friends, and they snap a selfie with you in it, who do you look for first in the photo? That’s it. Revealing and condemning at the same time.
Biblical love starts with recognizing the only giver of true and perfect love. The selfless kind. The giving kind. The going out of the way for another person kind, as shown by Jesus himself on the cross. He didn’t just talk about love. He bled it. And he calls us to the same, that our most compelling witness on this earth won’t be our words but our love in action.
What would that same energy you spend loving yourself look like if given away?
Would you be willing to give away your life vest?
Stay on Mission
#George L. Fox #Clark V. Poling #Alexander D. Goode #John P. Washington #USAT Dorchester
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