DOES CHRIST'S LOVE COMPEL YOU TO DO ANYTHING?

I recently read a story about a man that was continually late to his dentist appointments. One day he call up the doctor's office and told them that he was going to be about 15 minutes late and if that would be ok. The receptionist said, "no problem, but we will not have time to give you the medicine needed to numb you before your procedure." He arrive early for that appointment. I do not know about you but this would motivate me or compel me to arrive on time, every time.

Does Christ's love compel you to do anything? Does what He did on the cross for everyone of us motivate you to obey Him? I pray that your answer is yes to both questions. In 2 Corinthians 5:14, Paul writes, "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died" (emp. jer). According to an online dictionary, the word "compel" means "to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly" (merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compel). One author wrote, "The idea is that Christ's love completely controls and dominates Paul so that he has no option but to preach" (biblegateway.com). So I must ask you, does this love that Christ has already shown to us dominate us completely?

If the love of Christ dominated us and made it irresistible to serve Him, then why are there so many "Christians" still out living for the world? Why do so many ministers preach themselves instead of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5)? Now, do I sin? Yes. Do other faithful Christians sin? Of course they do. That is not the issue. The problem is that we are not willing to take a stand and preach Christ and Him crucified. We are not willing to share with people the meaning of "loving Christ" completely.

There are three things that I believe the love of Christ compels us to do. First, it compels us to change our hearts. Before one becomes a Christian he/she has a heart so full of evil and sin. Full of stuff that needs washed out before he/she can start serving God. So, through baptism that "stuff," that clogs the heart, is washed away (Acts 22:16).

Second, the love of Christ compels us to change our focus. We are no longer focused on the things of the world but the spiritual attributes that God demands. Where do we get these attributes? From God Himself. Paul wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). But this only comes to those in Christ. Those whom have put on the spiritual glasses in order to see. When something comes into focus we can see it much better. When we understand the love that Christ has for us and have seen it propelled into the world through His death on the cross, then everything around us is seen for what it truly is.

Finally, the love of Christ compels us to change our location. Again, Paul wrote, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Before becoming a Christian I lived in and for the world. But now that I am in the kingdom of Christ, I have a new dwelling place, a new location. In my life I have lived in about 22 different places. Moving from one town to the next or one house to the next. But as a Christian I have had only one home or location and that is in Christ Jesus my Lord (Galatians 3:27).

Remember that we are "ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Let this be your continual message of the minister.