Love and Sacrifice

By Paul Chappell

"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:9–13

On February 2, 1943, a troop ship named The Dorchester was carrying more than nine hundred soldiers and military personnel across the North Atlantic. A German U-boat spotted the convoy and fired three torpedoes at the ship. Only one struck the target, but the blast below the waterline fatally damaged the ship. In the cold darkness, the crew was ordered to abandon ship. There were not enough lifeboats for all the men, nor were there enough life jackets.

Four chaplains onboard the ship that night helped comfort those injured in the explosion and those who feared the coming of death. When the ship was ready to sink, the chaplains took off their life jackets and handed them to four young soldiers who had none. They gave up their own lives in order to save others. The heroic gesture inspired a nation, and Congress voted a special posthumous medal in their honor.

Most of us are not called upon to physically lay down our lives, but there are many people who need our help. People all around us who don’t know the Lord need us to give them the Gospel. Others need perhaps a kind word or an investment of our time or a gift of our finances. Whatever sacrifice is required, if we are to truly live as children of the King, we must be willing to make sacrifices to demonstrate Christ’s love.

Today's Rooted Principle:

Love is best demonstrated through personal sacrifice.