Verse of the day: II Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ compels us, because we
judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should
live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
In
light of what is to come for us, as born again believers, I ask, “Who are we
living for?” Can we, in all honesty, say that we are living for Christ, or
would we have to admit that we are living for ourselves? I often make the
comparison between a wedding and marriage and life on earth vs. eternity spent
with the Lord. All too often people who are getting married spend more time
preparing for the wedding than they do for the marriage. As a result, many
marriages fail. By the same token, many Christians are living for the “here and
now” and have neglected to prepare for our time to come, eternally, with the
Lord. Verse 10 of this chapter reminds us that we all, as God’s children, will
give account for the lives we lived here, and receive or lose reward for how
faithful, or not, we were in living for Jesus. The Apostle Paul states his
reason for surrendering his life to God’s service. It was the love of Jesus
that compelled him to take up his cross daily, and live for the Lord. It was a
love that put Jesus on the cross, as He humbly gave His life to pay for our
sins, and provide eternal life for all who will call upon Him by faith. In
these two verses, he clearly differentiates between those whom the Lord died
for, and those who are now alive because they have accepted the Lord’s free
gift of salvation. Even though eternal life is available to all, not all will
be saved because of their unbelief and rejection of the Gospel message. For
those of us who have been rescued from darkness, and delivered into the kingdom
of our God (Col 1:13), the message is that the love of God should compel us,
motivate us, to live wholeheartedly for Jesus. The truth of the matter is that
it is a small thing, in comparison to what Jesus did for us, to surrender our
lives to the service of our Lord and King. Yet, there are many of us who claim
that we live for Him, but it is evident by way we are living, and our priorities,
that we are really living for ourselves. Too many of us Christians are living
for our own pleasures, setting goals that are beneficial to us, and us alone, seeking
financial gain and elevated reputation in society, with no real thought of
using it for God’s glory. Too many of us care little about the wellbeing of
others, because we are too busy practicing the world’s philosophy of taking
care of #1 (namely, ourselves). Too many of us have turned a deaf ear and a
blind eye in respect to the needs of others and to the needs of our
missionaries and those doing the work of the Lord in our local churches; yet
the Word of God tells us that by our actions and willingness to care for
others, we demonstrate our faith (Jm 2:14-18). We have become a selfish
generation of Christians who have allowed ourselves to be sucked into the ways
and pleasures of the world. We profess our faith with lip service, but that
faith does not materialize in our behavior, actions, and attitudes. We have
blended in so well with the world that the unsaved cannot tell us apart from
those who are lost. I realize that there are also many of us out there who are
doing what we can to live for Jesus. To live for Him is to be willing to take
up our cross daily, being dead to the things of this world, and being alive to truly
serve the Lord (Mt 16:24-26). To live for the Lord is to put our selfish goals
and motives aside, and seek the good of others; trusting God to provide for our
needs and elevate us as He sees fit in accordance to His plan for us. For a
servant of Christ, living means that we willingly surrender to serve Him,
regardless of what He asks and commands of us (Jn 14:15). Living for the Lord
means using our time, talents, and resources (yes, even our money and material
goods) to bless others at the Lord’s leading. This does not mean that we cannot
enjoy our time here on earth or that we can never obtain some of the things
that we want. Those who have never experienced the joy of leading someone to
Christ have not yet truly lived. He/she who has never ministered to someone and
personally seen God move in another person’s life because they submitted and
obediently ministered to that person, has not yet begun to live and experience
the joy of the Christian life that is surrendered to Jesus. The person who has
not yet suffered persecution for standing up for their faith, and then watched
as the Lord delivered them and brought something amazing out of the situation
has not yet lived the abundant life that Jesus offers. The bottom line is that
we, who have been purchased by the Blood of Jesus, and no longer belong to
ourselves (1 Cor 6:19-20), need to re-evaluate and determine who we are really
serving. Are we serving ourselves, the world, and our enemy the devil, or are
we truly serving Jesus with all that we are? Why should we? Well, because He
gave His all, His life, for us first; and the same love that put Him on the
cross is the same love that should drive us to tell others about Him, and serve
Him and others, all for the glory of the One who died for a lost and dying
world.
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