Page 53 - Sarah's Children

bitterness, anger, envy, malice, etc.. The very height of love is laying down one’s life
for the good of another. Yahshua stated, “Greater love has no man than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

In the previous chapters we spoke much of taking up the cross, of losing one’s life.
At its very essence, such an action is a demonstration of love. To deny yourself in
order to obey Christ is an act of love. Yahshua said, “If you love Me, you will keep My
commandments” (John 14:15).

What we have spoken of thus far is very difficult, yet we will be led to perform
extreme and sacrificial actions that love may not be denied. If a woman has not
embraced the cross and a death to self as has been described, it could be asked of her
whether she has truly ever loved. There are many who confess their love and
devotion, but when a choice arises that requires dying to their soul life, many choose
to keep their life rather than lose it. This is not love, it is self-interest and self-
protection.

It is common to think of love as some sort of infatuation with another being, and
there is some truth to this. There is a romantic love of the sort that we see described
in the Song of Songs. Yet this romantic love would be hollow and false if it was not
wedded to the love we have described that will lay down its own life for a friend.
Even Yahshua’s love would have been lacking if He told His disciples that He loved
them, but then He had refused to go the way of the cross.

A home must be built upon this type of unselfish love. Each member must seek the
welfare of the others above their own welfare. A wife must lay down her own desires,
agenda, and goals, to seek to help her husband fulfill the call upon his life. Some have
depicted a woman who loves in this way as simply being a doormat for her husband’s
feet, but this is simply pride speaking, and true love is absent in those who hold to
this view. Pride does not want to subject itself to the will of another. Pride wants to
seek its own personal fulfillment.

In the last chapter we saw how Abigail turned the heart of David with her wisdom
and humility. If we had read a little further we would have seen that she also chose
to lay down her life and live her life for another.

I Samuel 25:40-42
When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to
her, saying, "David has sent us to you to take you as his wife." She arose
and bowed with her face to the ground and said, "Behold, your
maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord's servants." Then
Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who