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

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It was probably one of the finest showings of sportsmanship I’d ever seen, and one that, quite possibly, sunk the giver’s career. Yet he would probably tell you it was worth the sacrifice entirely.

Heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics, tennis player Dan Evans was among the best in the world; the previous season, he had reached a career-high ranking of No. 21 and was the champion of the Citi Open in Washington D.C. But he was faced with a tough decision regarding his accepting a spot on the British team for the Olympic Games — doing so would mean he couldn’t defend his 500 ranking points at the Citi Open, which would obviously slide him way down the ranks. Now, with Evans set to retire soon, he will likely never be back at the top again.

But more than that, it was a decision of friendship because his good pal and former world No. 1 Andy Murray had announced he would be retiring following the Paris Games, and getting to play doubles with Evans would be the way he would love to go out. Evans chose to give up his chance at the Citi Open and instead give Murray the sendoff he deserved. Sending his friend into retirement properly was more important than 500 ranking points.

It was a significant decision as Evans almost immediately watched his ranking slip from the top 30 to nearly No. 200 in the world. Yet, as fans of tennis all over the world watched the two nearly play their way to a medal match, giving the sport one last thrill, it seemed Evans was OK with the choice. And Murray made certain to give him due respect for having given up a lot in order to represent their nation together one final time. Evans’ career has never recovered.

What would you be willing to give up for a friend? Perhaps it might not necessitate something as drastic as what Evans did … or maybe it would. But if the decision arose and you had to do something significant in order to put someone else before yourself, would you do it?

Jesus did. For you and me.

In John 15:15, Jesus tells His disciples (and by extension, us), “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Just two verses prior, He had stated that there is no greater love than one who lays down their life for their friends.

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice in giving His life for our spiritual freedom. He stepped away from His Heavenly glory and was willing to live the humblest life and die a criminal’s death in order to give us eternal life. We were important enough to Jesus that He would take our punishment on Himself so we could have access to the life we were designed to live all along. So any sacrifices we make for the Kingdom of God, or even those we love, is simply a small reflection of what Jesus willingly did for us.

We are God’s friends, and He did the ultimate sacrificial gesture for us. Let’s then love one another in the same spirit and be willing to give others the dignity and respect they are due, even if it costs us something important.

— Katherine Singer

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