Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:14-18
Either way God’s love controls us. . . If we are crazily passionate or remarkably controlled and in our right minds, either way God is the one in control. Paul continues the story. We believe with Paul that Christ died for all. We also believe that we have all died to our old life. Paul spells it out for us. If indeed we have died to our own passions and desires, the tendency to think just of ourselves, If now we no longer live for ourselves then what do we live for? If we are not to live for ourselves then obviously we are to live for Christ who died for us. To live for Christ means we have to stop seeing this world through human eyes and starting seeing it and its people through His eyes.
We need to see people and evaluate people from God’s point of view and not from our human point of view. We did indeed at one time view Christ from a human point of view. I certainly did and how wrong my evaluation was. I have told you already (Bible Gem 323) about the day I saw the car next to me backing out without a driver. I have told you how God used that experience and that moment to download gigabytes of thought into my spirit in a nanosecond. “He seemed to say to me just like with the car, you have see from a new perspective. My perspective! Â I was instantly aware of God’s perspective on the souls of people and what God wants of us. We see people as flesh and blood. But we now know from this larger part of 2nd Corinthians it is the inner man, the spirit part which will last forever. That is the part that is being renewing. How much time do we spend looking, admiring and taking care of the outer shell. But the outer shell is wasting away. The outer shell is fading fast. It is not going to last. Instead of spending so much time looking after the appearance of the body, start taking more care over the part that is eternal. That’s where the treasure is.Â
That day sitting in the car outside the salon waiting for Tania I “saw” spirit beings walking around. They looked very different from the outer shell. Some small shrivelled little spirit beings came from outer shells that were huge, immense. But the size of the spirit within was miniscule. Indeed the Word of God tells us that man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart, the inner core. How’s your inner man doing? Is he being fed? Are you nurturing the inner man or are you carelessly allowing the inner man, that spiritual, eternal part of you to shrink day by day while paying more attention to beautifying the outer shell? Are you grieved when you see that man or that woman is heading for a Christless eternity? That is how God feels about it. All day long His hands of love are held out to a stubborn and obstinate people. Â Does that trouble you? Do you think twice about it?Â
Do you realise, often the most important part of day happens at coffee break when we have that conversation with the janitor of the building about his inner man? The most eternally significant thing that happened was not the board room meeting but the short brief conversation with the woman who expressed her hurt and struggle at the coffee urn or with the beggar on the corner on the way home. Or it should have been! Our values and view point can get so skewed by the false values of everything around us. We take on board the value system of those around us. We rush off to another important meeting but miss the person God has planted there in front of us. Don’t miss those God moments.
There are two tangible things in this world that last forever. Only two. Tangible, concrete things; not abstract ideas but tangible touchable things. The souls of people and the Word of God. Are either of those part of what you are sowing into?
Indeed we once thought as the world around us did. Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person, with a different value system. A value system that is set on eternity and not on this fleeting perishing world. Where is your citizenship? All we have we have been given by Christ to accomplish the task of reconciling the world to Him. That’s the way He has planned it. Scary isn’ t it. God is a risk taker.
The quality of your life is determined by the Word of God that you consume DAILY.
Kenny Goh
When your memories become more important than your dreams your life is over. So dream my friends — dream big!
Max Lucado
We weren’t meant to be somebody — we were meant to know Somebody.
John Piper
There was no redemptive plan for the fallen angels. There did not have to be one for us either. Tremble with thankfulness.
John Piper