In his book Written In Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor.

"Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked.  Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister." Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room--Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. "Doctor, when do I die?'

Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He's thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn't have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary's, and it required Jesus to give not just His blood but His life.

picture courtesy images.google.com & story courtesy sermonillustrations.com

¹²I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. ¹³And here is how to measure it--the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.

¹⁶We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.

WHAT DOES TODAY'S SCRIPTURE TEACH US ABOUT THE ULTIMATE LOVE?

Jesus calls us to love one another just as He loved us.  He loved us so much that He gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.  WHAT DOES CHRIST'S SACRIFICE MEAN TO YOU AS WE APPROACH EASTER SUNDAY?

Christ-like love is an action, not a feeling.  The greatest act of love for someone is to give ourselves for them.  We may never have to die for another person, but there are ways we can lay down our lives for someone.  It means putting others' desires ahead of ours. 

WHO IS SOMEONE WHO NEEDS YOU TO LISTEN, HELP, ENCOURAGE, AND GIVE UNCONDITIONALLY TO THEM?

This is part of what it means to do what Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, "...But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life."

Thank Jesus for loving you so much that He willingly gave His blood to die so that you could live now and forever.  Take a minute to simply focus on Christ's sacrifice for you....thank Him and worship Him....now ask Jesus to show you the name of someone for whom you should "lay down your life" with loving kindness in the next few days.

• Write down the name of the person God showed you in your prayer time and a list of at least 3 ways you can show sacrificial love to him or her.
• Keep this list handy as you pray for this person every day and follow through on your plan.  Watch God's Spirit work in your life and in his or her life.
• During this Easter week, listen for songs in your church, on Christian radio, or on your own iPod, that remind you of Christ laying down His life for you.

Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG.  Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college.  He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.