The Greatest Act of Love, and God’s Authority on Being Like Him

A beautiful blessing that is given to all of us from our Creator is the power to be like Him in certain ways. I believe this was designed to help us understand and connect with Him, and to bring Him into our world through our own acts. Throughout the Bible, we read countless stories about forgiveness, what it’s like to be parents, and see regular people who demonstrate the power of God in real life. Here’s a story where Jesus chose a specific method to heal a man, in order to teach the crowd around Him that they too have the same ability:

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” -Mark 2: 1-12

If we pause and reflect on verse 10, we realize how powerful we can be with God’s authority. We were given the ability to pardon sins… just like that! God also gives us the ability to create life in order to understand the unconditional love bond between a parent and a child. Through this act, we get to embody the experience of being both the maker and the child of a maker; beautiful and humbling. However, the greatest act of love as defined by God Himself, is the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross:

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” -John 15:13

Jesus carried the cross—all the sins of humanity— and died for us. This very same sacrifice, mission, and power was also given to regular people in our world. Such an act is carried out by military personnel, firefighters, and police officers. These amazing people also carry the weight of the greatest act of love for all of humanity.

Here’s a deeper look into why we should honor those who demonstrate the power of being like Jesus:

?? When we thank a veteran, we should remember that, like Jesus, these people put their lives on the line for others who didn’t necessarily deserve it.

You heard me right. No one tells a marine or a firefighter, “You should run into that building and only save those who are worthy.” No. This person risks their life for all the people who need to be saved without question; this is unconditional love for mankind, and acting on the belief that we are all worthy. Jesus died for all of us, not just for some of us.

?? Jesus carried the weight of the cross, and our veterans carry the weight of war.

God’s own angels turned away from Him and started war, so there will probably always be war in some form. As long as there’s evil, someone has to fight for good. Jesus was condemned, bullied, beaten, tested, and hated, but He still carried out His mission. The wounds of the mind, soul, and body that permeated Him as a regular man are the same wounds that inflict our veterans, but they still carried out their missions as well. Like Jesus, our veterans still have to work, eat, sleep, and live life every day, despite these obstacles. God is there for them to lean on during the difficult days, and He will not forsake any of us in the end.

?? Just like Jesus, our veterans don’t get much in return for their sacrifices, nor do they ask for anything, but they still carried out the mission.

Jesus did ask us to believe that He was the Son of God, and to love God by loving Him, so that we can have eternal life. (This one request was still for US, not for Him.) We get salvation… but Jesus, the man who walked the earth, only really received love and appreciation in return for all of His great acts. We get to love and honor Jesus every day by utilizing the power that God gives us to be like Him, and to demonstrate that power for others to witness. We can also choose to honor our veterans by showing them just as much love, because that’s really all they can get back for their sacrifices as well.

So, today, don’t just thank a veteran, love and honor a veteran. Remind others of their sacrifices, spread appreciation, and show support in your community. When I call these people heroes, I’m not implying the worldly connotation of the word— I’m saying that they ARE heroes because they were chosen by God to carry out an act of HEROISM. Not everyone is chosen for this, and I hope these men and women step into a place of pride and comfort when being referred to as heroes, because it’s the greatest honor from God and they deserve to be counted as the few.

I may not be a hero, but I can love one! For some of us, THAT is the mission God has chosen for us… so let’s carry it out with commitment and compassion!

Written by: Michelle TK

?? Dedicated to my friend: Marine, Father, Love Warrior