The Power of One

Love... there are many types of love but there is a love that is so great!! Jesus talks about this love in John 15 :12-13 (NLT)

12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

WOW!!! Jesus showed us this type of love when he died on the cross for us, and we are to love people in the same way. What a great challenge. It was ANZAC day a few weeks ago, on that day we celebrate our freedom because of the sacrifice men women paid for us. Some of us may have gone to one of the services or marches and experienced an overwhelming ceremony honouring the lives of those who served and who still serve. There have been many books written about the ANZAC’s and some of us may have even had assignments on them. This is our heritage.

April 25th, 1915, was the day the Anzac’s landed at Gallipoli. Bill Gammage in 1974 said,

“The best Australians were loyal to their mates in every circumstance. One laid down his life by giving his gas mask to a friend; another shot through the arm, stayed with his wounded mate for seven days in ‘No Man’s Land’ at From elles, scavenging food and water from the surrounding dead and at night dragging him slowly to safety until at last he rescued him; a third gave up leave in England to search a Flanders Battle field for the body of a mate killed there; a fourth walked 28 miles to tend his mates grave.”(Cullen. E (2002) pg 53)


When we hear about the ANZAC’s we don’t hear much about God or whether or not some were Christians. According to historian Michael McKernan, two motives stand out as to why Australians volunteered as chaplains.

“First, many wanted to demonstrate they were willing to participate in the nation’s solemn moment of sacrifice. In this, they closely identified with the nation’s commitment to the war effort. Second, most wanted to provide the ministrations [or support] of Christianity to all of those who served in the A.I.F. and to make certain that no soldier was lost to the Christian faith. Evangelicals overwhelmingly concurred. Chaplains from the evangelical churches knew well the theme of ‘sacrifice’ and identified with the call to be willing to ‘lay down one’s life one’s friends.’

These men and women have shown us that we have the power to impact people's lives... Jesus also showed us. This power to impact other is love!!!

1 John 3:16 (NIV) 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

And we ought to do the same. TRUE LOVE!!!

-Michelle