“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV
It is Paul’s point that we should be persuaded by Christ’s incredible & eternal love for us that we would live for him and not ourselves. It’s our choice. He died for us to have life and that more abundantly.[1] We have died to ourselves, therefore we should not come alive to our old self once again since we have been resurrected to new life. That is like a dog returning to its vomit.[2]
Living for God is not to be taken lightly. We will stand before the judgment seat of Christ someday and give an account of all we have done in this life, both good and bad.[3] A reckoning (a settling of accounts) is coming to this world and it would be shear foolishness to have the answer, yet still flunk the test. This world has absolutely nothing to offer us that can favorably compare to eternity with God in his heaven. Nothing at all. Everything in this world is temporal, even our very lives. These flesh tents that we live in this side of heaven will grow old, wither and die one day. But our hope lies in the afterlife, where we will have new spirit bodies that shall be incorruptible and eternal.
Paul said in his letter to the Philippian church, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” [Phil. 1:21 NIV] Who would say such a thing but a man whose life had been changed for the better by Jesus Christ. We toil in this life until it comes time to leave this world. Our future destination is up to us and God honors our wishes. Should we choose to live our life based on what we feel, and think is real without even considering the future consequences of such a choice, we will end up in hell. And it is by our own choice. God sends no one to hell. By virtue of the free will we have been given, those who end up apart from God have done so of their own volition. Those who end up in heaven with our Lord have also done so by choice. Serve God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength out of love, because you have chosen to. You must realize you don’t have to, but your eternal destination hangs in the balance. Determine to life for Christ, for it is the only way to spend eternity with him. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
[1] “The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.” - John 10:10 Complete Jewish Bible.
[2] “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.”- Proverbs 26:11 New Living Translation.
[3] “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”- 2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV
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