Love Is Not Selfish
Phrase of the day: Love is not selfish.
Definition: unselfish – interested in others, generous, devoted to others
This week’s Bible Verse: Love is not happy with evil, but is happy with truth. I Corinthians 13:6 (ICB)
Bible Lesson: Criminal on the Cross – Luke 23:32–43 (ICB)
Jesus was not alone when He died on the cross. Two others, both criminals, were led out to be crucified next to Jesus. They came to a hill called the Skull. All three were crucified there – Jesus on the center cross and the two criminals on the right and left of Him. After being nailed to the cross by the soldiers, Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people because they don’t know what they are doing.” After Jesus said that, the soldiers began rolling dice or gambling for His clothes.
The people stood there watching Jesus while the leaders just laughed at Him. The leaders said, “He has saved others, let Him save himself if He is really God’s Chosen One, the Messiah.” Even the soldiers made fun. They came to Jesus and offered Him some sour vinegar. They said to Jesus, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.”
One of the criminals on the cross next to Jesus even made fun of Him. He said, “Aren’t you the Christ? Then save yourself. And save us too!” The other criminal on the cross, on Jesus’ other side, stopped him by saying, “You should fear God! You are getting the same punishment as He is. We are being punished because we did something wrong; we should die. But this man has done nothing wrong.” He was talking about Jesus. This criminal knew Jesus was the Son of God.
Then, the criminal said to the Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” Then Jesus said to him, “Listen! What I say is true: Today you will be with me in heaven!”
Big Idea: Love is not selfish. Jesus forgave the people who were trying to kill Him and the man dying on the cross next to Him. The criminals on the cross had done many bad things and were being punished. Even as Jesus suffered alongside them, He showed love to them. Jesus even told the criminal who believed He was the Son of God that he would be in Heaven with Him that day. Jesus was suffering death on the cross and still was giving love—until His last breath! Jesus is the ultimate example of a truly BEST FRIEND because He was not selfish, always putting others before Himself.
Application: How can we love like Jesus? Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to just worry about our needs and let everyone else take care of themselves. What does unselfishness look like? A kid who stops playing video games long enough to help his parents bring the groceries in from the car. A kid who goes out of her way to be nice to someone who isn’t very popular at school. A kid who takes some of her allowance money and gives it to a project at church that will help kids who need school supplies. A kid who takes time to teach his baby brother how to tie his shoes. All of these are simple unselfish acts that show love to others. God wants us to be a good friend by putting others first to make sure we are not being selfish.
Answer it in class:
1) Even though Jesus was in a lot of pain, why did He choose to show love to the soldiers and the criminal on the cross next to him?
2) What is putting other’s first?
3) What little things can you do to put other’s first?
Live it Out Challenge: Jesus put others first. This week, think about how you can put others first. Write down how you put someone else first. How did it feel to serve that person? Bring it back to church and share it with a leader.
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