Whose Life Is It?

Life. Such an amazing gift. Unfortunately, in our sinful state of
humanity, we view this gift as ours. Like two-year olds, we boastfully
claim, "Mine, mine, mine."



But nothing could be further than the truth. He is the generator of our life in every sense. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.' ~Acts 17:28a (NIV)



For
those of us who claim to be Christians, this tendency to live life our
way is even more ludicrous. Consider the following verses:



I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
~Galatians 2:20 (NIV)



Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. ~1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)



Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ~Romans 12:1 (NIV)



Since our lives are not our own and Christ lives within us, our greatest task is to complete His mission. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. ~Luke 19:10 (NKJV)



Since,
then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade
others...For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that One
died for all, and therefore all died. 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. ~2 Corinthians 5:11, 14-15 (NIV)



The last verses reveal two motivating factors when it comes to living our lives out loud for the Lord and for the lost.



1.
"We know what it is to fear (reverence) the Lord." Our reverence of Who
He is and what His Word says gives us fuel to persuade others.



2.
"Christ's love compels us." His death on the cross for all mankind
seizes us and consumes us. When we realize (as much as is humanly
possible) the depth of His love for us--what He was willing to do to
bring us back to Him--we want to share that love with others so they too
may experience His amazing saving grace.



For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ~Matthew 16:25 (NKJV)



Father God,
how blessed we are to find our life in You. Make us ever mindful that we
are not our own. Keep the fact that we were bought at a great price in
the forefront of our thoughts. Lord, You are Almighty and Holy God. May
our reverence for You help persuade others. Thank You for loving us so
much that You were willing to suffer the agony of the cross to redeem
us. Grip our hearts with this truth so we boldly share Your love with a
lost and dying world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.