Living Life for God Alone

"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 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.

When Jesus was on the earth, He revealed the Father to us so that we might grasp and understand who God truly is. Since Jesus came in appearance as a man and humbly obeyed the Father in all things, we are now the recipients of His great salvation. Literally, everything He did was done in love. He taught in love...served in love....healed in love, and even suffered and died in love.

The Apostle John says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). Jesus included us in His death and united us to Himself in His resurrection so that when the Father sees us, He doesn't just see us but sees His Son in us. This is called the doctrine of union. Therefore, we are justified in His sight and accepted by God on the basis and merit of Christ's love and atonement.

Isn't that truly amazing that we are forever united in Christ!

As Paul the Apostle declares in Romans 6:4-5:

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection."

If the love of God compelled Jesus to do what He did for us, shouldn't the love of Christ compel us to do what we do FOR HIM?

The Apostles understood that we have a high calling to live our lives now for God alone. Paul said we should "walk worthy of the calling to which we are called" (Eph. 4:1). And John said, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6)

So how are you living dear saint? Perhaps, the better question should begin with "WHO are you living for?"

Maybe you feel like you have blown it too many times. Or that you don't have what it takes to live fully and faithfully for the Lord. Well, the good news is that this explains exactly why Jesus came in the first place. He knows our frame and our weaknesses and He knows that apart from Him you could do nothing. Yet He still died and rose again for you! So turn all of your attention to the Lord Jesus and rest fully on the cross and rely fully on His power to do His will and He will restore you and use you for HIS GREATER PURPOSE!

The Apostle Peter knew firsthand what it was like to be restored by the Lord and to live the rest of his days seeking to glorify Him. He wrote in his epistle:

"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

So let us resolve to give our all to Jesus...the One who left it all, loved us all, endured it all, and accomplished it all that He might freely give us all things!