This Love Changes Everything - Day 242 Month 8-29 Week 35-4
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
1 Kings 16:6-17:16, Proverbs 25:1-10, Ezekiel 37:15-28, 2 Corinthians 5
This Love Changes Everything
As a young person and into the early time as an adult, I would often sit at the kitchen table when my family was doing devotions and hear my father say that it is better to be with the Lord, than to be here on this earth. From my perspective, he was depressed and he likely was. He went to the doctor one day because he had lost his appetite. When he came into the house after seeing the doctor, he stated, “He says it’s just nerves.” I suspect the doctor was really referring to what we call depression today.
Today we are reading 2 Corinthians 5, and all of these memories came flooding back. Paul was saying something very similar to what my father used to say, just using different words.
“While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight - we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)
There are a lot of thoughts from this section of scripture but what I see generally is that Paul, though wanting to “be at home with the Lord” recognized his place at that time was to encourage others to know Jesus. He says “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:14,15). Paul knew where his ultimate hope was, but that hope didn't make him pursue death. It made him live differently in this life.
As I have been hearing and reading about Dolly Parton's death, one thing that stuck out to me was that she had put some of her own health concerns aside while caring for her husband during the final years of his life. That made me think about Paul's words. His love for Christ changed what mattered most to him. He wasn't living simply for his own comfort or success. He believed his life belonged to someone greater than himself.
Paul referred to himself as an ambassador for Christ, and I see myself in the same way. I believe that is something every Jesus follower can aspire to. “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Here’s the message to all of us. “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:20,21).
Paul knew that being with Jesus was better than anything this life could offer. But while he was here, he had a purpose. He was an ambassador for Christ. I think that is where this scripture speaks to me. Knowing that I belong to Jesus doesn't make me want to escape this life. It makes me want to use the life I have to love people, serve others and point people toward Him.
Very simply, say yes to Jesus. I can't promise that following Him will make life easier, but I can tell you that it has taught me something about love that I could never have understood on my own.
Have a great day!
Steve
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