We must remember what looks good to our eyes do not always look good to His. If our heart is off loving people it is off totally. God is love and wants us to function in love also, so as we do ministry we must open our hearts and make sure our purpose is His glory not ours. I think this next thought by Paul is hard for us to imagine since we section off people for who they are or what they do. Verse 14 says, “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that we have all died to our old life.” Christ died for all people not just the ones that don’t annoy us so as we love people our hearts are opened to everyone who needs to see Jesus in us.
Verse 15 says, “He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will live for Christ, who
died and was raised for them.” As we grow and as our ministry develops we need to always remember why we are doing what we are doing. It is so people see how Christ really is and that our lives have changed because we know Him and we have surrendered our old life for our new life. When we continue to change and develop why we do things for the Lord we stop living in judgment and start living in love.
The thing that Paul wants us to get from all this is that through Christ we are new creations and we are made right with God. In chapter 6 verse 1 I love what Paul says and I pray that we all do this as we live our lives for Him. “As God’s partners, we beg you, not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.” As we work together planting and watering seeds the ministries in the world should focus on
love and being bold about sharing Jesus Christ.
Amen