AGAPE LOVE
Years ago, in a small
fishing village in Holland, a young boy taught the world about the rewards of
unselfish service. Because the entire
village revolved around the fishing industry, a volunteer rescue team was
needed in cases of emergency. One night,
the gale force winds raged vehemently and capsized a fishing boat at sea.
Stranded and in trouble,
the crew sent out an S.O.S. The captain
of the rescue rowboat team sounded the alarm and the villagers assembled in the
town square overlooking the bay. While
the team launched their rowboat and fought their way through the wild waves,
the villagers waited restlessly on the beach, holding lanterns to light the way
back to shore.
One hour later, the rescue
boat reappeared through the fog and the cheering villagers ran to greet
them. Falling exhausted on the sand, the
volunteers reported that the rescue boat could not hold any more passengers and
they had to leave one man behind. Even
one more passenger would have surely capsized the boat and all would have been
lost.
Frantically, the captain
called for another volunteer team to go after the lone survivor. Sixteen-year-old Hans stepped forward. His mother grabbed his arm, pleading, “Please
don’t go. Your father died in a
shipwreck 10 years ago and your older brother, Paul, has been lost at sea for
three weeks. Hans, you are all I have
left.”
Hans replied, “Mother, I
have to go. What if everyone said, ‘I
can’t go, let someone else do it?’ Mother,
this time I must do my duty. When the
call for service comes, we all need to take our turn and do our part.” So, Hans kissed his worried mother, joined
the team and disappeared into the night.
Another hour passed, which
seemed to Hans’ mother like an eternity. Finally, the rescue boat darted through the
fog with Hans standing up in the bow. Cupping
his hands, the captain called, “Did you find the lost man?” Barely able to contain himself, Hans
excitedly yelled back, “Yes, we found him, and we found someone else too. Tell my mother it’s my older brother, Paul!”
Agape love is sacrificial
love. Although risky, it works. Just ask Jesus.
Greater love has no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Hereby perceive we the love
of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brethren.
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