What Does It Mean to Lay Down Your Life for God?
Have you ever wondered what it means to lay down your life for God and others?
Jesus spoke the following words to his disciples: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NIV).
Perhaps you want to know how to live this out. I invite you to join me as we explore what it might look like to lay down your life for God. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you experience God’s presence and power in your life.
How to Lay Down Your Life
We’re watching the little one stretch his legs in his blue bouncy seat when my grandma says the words that will echo in my mind for months. As we admire him, I tell myself to cherish these weary days of motherhood because all too soon, I’ll be the great-grandma rocking the tiny one.
“I love you,” I warmly tell Aiden as I rub his legs.
That’s when Grandma speaks the words that will stick with me.
“They need to hear you say that you love them. That’s so good. I never heard my mother tell me she loved me,” Grandma says.
I’m surprised. My great-grandma was a kind and loving woman, and I cannot imagine that she never told her daughter she loved her.
“People weren’t as open back in those days. They just didn’t say those words very often,” Grandma tells me. “But I knew she loved me. I never doubted that.”
It’s a fresh glimpse into my grandma’s life, and I count it a gift.
Some part of me gets it. Putting ourselves out there isn’t always easy.
I’ve told my children I love them pretty much every day of their entire lives, but I can see that it might be something hard to say for the first time, especially if it hasn’t been modeled.
How my grandma broke the cycle and became the mother who verbally affirmed her love for her children is beyond me, but I know the cycle of not speaking those words ended with her, and for this I am grateful. 
How to Lay Down Your Life: 10 Ways
After Grandma speaks those words, I spend days thinking about laying down our lives.
If we truly love Jesus unconditionally, we will be required to live in a way that makes us vulnerable, kind of like a woman who breaks a generational cycle of keeping her true feelings hidden from the ones she loves most.
If we want the most abundant lives, it will require a demonstration of love that stretches us. It might mean saying, “I love you,” or saying, “I’m sorry.”
There are all sorts of ways to lay down our lives. Let’s look at some practical ways to lay down our lives for others here today:
1. You lay down your life when you focus on others more than yourself.
Imagine the shift that would take place if you showed up at every awkward social gathering, took your eyes off of your insecurities, and looked for people to love and encourage.
Instead of looking for someone to make you feel loved and included, you look for others to love and encourage. This is a simple way to lay down your life.
Ask God to help you shift your focus from inward to outward. This shift can change your life.
2. You lay down your life when you embrace interruptions for the sake of love.
At some point, Jesus will ask you to set aside your plans for the day when the neighbor or friend calls with an emergency.
Every time you help someone else, especially when these moments feel like interruptions, you lay down your life for someone else.
3. You make your relationship with Jesus a priority.
Jesus wants you to make your relationship with him a priority. He is inviting you to set aside a few quiet moments for prayer throughout your days.
Every time you set aside your needs to seek his face, read his Word, worship him, or talk to him, you lay down your life for his glory.
4. You lay down your life when you put the needs of others above your needs.
We are all called to put the needs of others above our personal needs. This doesn’t mean that we don’t set boundaries; however, God does call us to consider others and prioritize their needs.
Does your spouse need you to run an errand or complete a chore at home today?
Perhaps your child, a friend, or an elderly loved one needs a great deal from you. Putting this person’s needs first probably isn’t easy; however, God is giving you an opportunity to lay down your life for love.
5. You respond with gentleness instead of defensiveness or pride.
We all face moments in which we’re tempted to defend ourselves or prove ourselves to others.
The next time your spouse, friend, parent, child, or coworker pushes your buttons, lay down your life by refusing to defend or prove your point. Instead, respond with gentleness. You will move in the direct of Christ’s selfless love.
6. You lay down your life when you choose obedience even it when there is a cost.
We all face times when obeying God has a cost.
Obedience can cost us relationships, jobs, popularity, and the approval of others.
Meanwhile, we show God we love him by obeying him.
7. You forgive instead of retaliating.
We all feel tempted to retaliate when others offend us.
We lay down our lives by forgiving those who offend us and leaving paybacks to God.
8. You lay down your life when you love people who cannot return your love.
God places people in our paths who are incapable of returning our love and kindness.
We can lay down our lives by loving those who cannot love us in return.
9. You speak the truth with gentleness.
At times, God will call us to speak the truth to others.
When we do so with gentleness and humility, we lay down our lives for others.
10. You lay down your life when you surrender control to God.
The desire for control is the great human struggle with God.
We lay down our lives when we exchange control for surrender.
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I’m thankful that my grandma broke the generational cycle and taught my mother how to show her love. This simple way of laying down her life will make a generational impact on our family.
Where is God calling you to lay down your life for love today?
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
