We no longer live for ourselves.

 

Read 2 Corinthians 5

Let’s look at verse 15.

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

OK, we get this part. Christ died for all. It’s a gift. We didn’t do anything to earn it or deserve it. It is a one-hundred-percent gift. We know that.

People just need to turn away from the world and turn to God and receive the gift to be saved. We get it.

But what about the second part of the verse? Do you remember what it said?

We should no longer live for ourselves but for Christ himself. Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. That’s the thinking here.

It is very familiar to other things that you have heard from Paul and others.  Live a life worthy of the calling that you received.

How many times have you heard me ask you, usually in the context of the Parable of the talents, what did you do with what God gave you.

Everything that we do must put God first. Everything!

How could we do that? We would never get anything done. On the contrary, your life would be full. You would be rested. You would know the peace of the Lord.

You wake up and your mind goes immediately to thanking God for the day.

You head to work or school and think about how to glorify God as you teach, learn, or make sandwiches.

People who cross your path are not nuisances. They are opportunities to show God’s love.

It’s a challenge for a while. Going from, I really want to have a good day to I really want to bring glory to God by loving others.

In the course of serving God by loving others, we end up having a good day after all, even if it was nothing like we thought it would be.

When we get into this mindset, it helps us with the dichotomy that Paul gave the Corinthians. Do you want to be serving Christ in these bodies in the here and now, or do you want to be with him in his heavenly kingdom?

Of course, I want to be with God now, well, except that I just got back from camp and am on fire and want to serve the Lord with all that I am.

That is our disposition. Elsewhere, Paul would call this a win-win scenario.

If I am in the body, I am giving myself fully to the work of the Lord, even if my paycheck comes from Bar-S or the Ford Dealership.

If it’s my time, then it’s time to be with the Lord in heaven. Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate.

To live is Christ. To die is gain. But that’s only if you chose to live for the Lord and not yourself in response to his gift of life, life abundant, and life eternal.

It’s sort of like the well-timed pass in football where the receiver catches the ball in stride. The defender is all over him but the pass is so perfect that the receiver never breaks stride and the ball is six inches beyond the reach of the defender.

One moment, he is a potential receiver. The next, he is a ball carrier 30 yards down the field.

One moment, we are running our race and serving the Lord. The next we are with him. It’s a good deal.

We don’t really give up anything of eternal value by living for Christ in the here and now.

Live a life worthy of the calling that you have received. Respond to this great gift of salvation by putting our Master’s words into practice.

Know that Christ has prepared a place for you with him for eternity. Run your race with your eyes fixed on Jesus for however many days you have life in your body. It’s a win-win.

Amen.