5 November | EVERYONE
«For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died. [...] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.» 2 Corinthians 5: 14,17
We were lost. Everyone. Without exception. Jesus could have left us at the mercy of our fate of death. After all, it was a path chosen by human beings. It was the natural consequence of our rebelliousness. What were we in the vast universe but a grain of sand? But His love reached out to us. It pulled us out of the abyss, out of loneliness, out of despair, and out of guilt. Jesus loved us unto death!
He was not a philosopher who analyzed the subject of love in depth. Nor was he a poet who wrote an ode to love. He did not compose sweet romantic melodies. He showed love through the drops of His sacrifice. He fearlessly entered the swampy world of death and rescued us from its sinister webs. He paid the price for our freedom. He humiliated himself and died like the worst of criminals.
His discourse on love was His very life. No one can tell where His words end, and His deeds begin. Or where His deeds end and his words begin. His deeds were words, and His words were deeds. Blessed love of Jesus! That is why Paul says that the love of Christ compels us. How could it not? What heart would remain insensitive to the greatness of that love? The reaction of any heart would be to love him as well.
And yet, the rebellious heart refuses. It becomes hard as a rock, and it does not surrender. We will never do it, no matter how hard we try, unless God shatters the rock. And that is precisely the divine promise. Hence Paul says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Take Action
Go to Jesus. Tell Him you want to live for Him but do not have the strength to do so. Give your whole being to Him, so that you die, and then the Spirit gives rise to a new creature. Sing “If Anyone Is in Christ” (if possible, with your family).