We hope you enjoy this re-post from January 16, 2015. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13, King James Version (KJV) 

Dick and Rick Hoyt are an inspiring and amazing duo. According to an April 2014 article in The Boston Globe:

Their story is no less remarkable for having been told over and over again. Rick was born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, unable to walk or talk. His parents ignored the advice of doctors who said Rick’s situation was hopeless, and instead fought to get their son access to all kinds of activities. When he was 15, Rick asked his father to push him in a 5-mile fund-raising road race for a local lacrosse player recently paralyzed. As Rick told his father after their first run, “When I’m running I don’t feel handicapped.’’ What father would not react to that?

That local 5-miler was the beginning. Thirty seven years later, the Hoyts have run in more than 1,000 road races, marathons, and triathlons and are known throughout the world for their extraordinary athletic achievements.

Due to medical issues, Dick had to make the 2014 Boston Marathon his last. He had intended to make the 2013 Marathon his final curtain call, but the 2013 terrorist bombing caused him to race once more so that he could complete his final run with his son. Rick intends to continue running the Marathon, but someone other that his loving father will have to partner with him.

If you need a good cry, just search “Dick and Rick Hoyt” on YouTube, and you’ll find any number of moving videos about the Hoyt’s story. Many lessons can be drawn from their adventures, but today’s lesson is this: greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Christ’s words in John 15:13 most certainly refer to dying for the sake of others, for that is the context in which Christ offered His statement. But there are many verses in the Bible (click here for a list of several such verses) which teach us that dying to self-interest for the sake of others – particularly God – is also a tremendous expression of love. Dick has pushed his son in over 1,000 races during the past 37 years, many of them marathons and triathlons. No doubt the training time, added to the time actually spent in the races, equates to several years. Dick Hoyt could have done so many other things with those years, but he laid down his other interests in order to lift up the life and the spirit of his dear son. For decades, Dick Hoyt has embodied the idea of laying down one’s life for his friends, and we should not only be inspired by his example; we should follow it.

Is Christ your friend? How much do you love Him? Have you been laying down your interests, your desires, and your plans for His Way? Or, have you shown Him how little you love Him by how much you cling to your passions rather than His?