Scripture
He died for all so that all who live {having received eternal life through Him} might live no longer to please themselves but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who died and rose again for them.
~II Corinthians 5:15, LNT
Quote
I will serve HIM because I love HIM, He has given life to me.
~Lynda Randle
I am reading through II Corinthians and yesterday this verse grabbed my attention. The LNT has given me a new perspective on II Corinthians 4:15. I have used this verse many times in referring to Christ dying for all and I have always known there was more here than general atonement but the LNT makes it so clear that anyone should be able to understand. The essence of sin is our selfish nature. In Luke 15 we have the story of the lost sheep. Jesus wasn’t talking about lost sheep, not literally, He is talking about lost people but we as humans are much like sheep. Isaiah said, “All we like sheep have gone astray; each one has turned to his own way and the LORD has laid upon HIM the iniquity of us all.” The essence of sin is that we turn to our own way. Sheep are not violent creatures but they are dumb and they to dumb things. No sheep was ever known to be a killer because by nature, they gentle and meek. But they still get lost because they go their own way.
Some folks have the false concept that people only go to hell because they do bad, evil things like killing, stealing and committed heinous crimes. They don’t understand the nature of sin. Good moral people are sinners simply because they have never repented of living their own way. You don’t have to kill some one to go to hell; actually, you don’t have to do anything. We were born with our default setting on “selfishness.” At some point in our life, we have to realize this and repent. This selfish nature is summed up by the adage, “I want what I want when I want it and I will act ugly if necessary to get it.” We see this in children, even in babies. The bottom line is this: “Who are we living to please?” Are we living for Jesus or for ourselves? Have you ever noticed, we make a special effort to please the ones we love. A man who loves his wife will try to please her and vice versa. A man who is so wrapped up in self-love that He puts himself first seldom tries to please his wife. The same goes for our spiritual relationship with Jesus: if we love Him, we will want to please Him. I have boiled my mission statement or purpose statement down to one short sentence: “My purpose in life is to please Jesus.” It doesn’t matter what else I do, if I fail to please HIM, I have failed.
- Coming in from GRACE POINT last night June said, six down and four to go. The night VBS is hard on old folks. We got home at 10:00 PM. Their VBS is nothing like the DBC but the kids liked it. I think they have more time because they don’t do as many things. They do have a lot of help and they do one thing that we should do: they have SECURITY at VBS. They had two armed men between the road and the kids. You never know! I guess we dropped the ball on that one but we can get it right next year.
- We got a couple of good rains here at 11:20. I tried to work a little in the garden this morning but it was still sticky. I did enjoy some good cloud cover.
- If you have never read I & II Corinthians in the MESSAGE or LIVING BIBLE, you need to do so. I promise you it will be a blessing.