Make Our Lives Count for the Lord
ICS Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians 5: 15,17 (NKJV) and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
All believers start by believing in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of our lives, but we must not stagnate as just believers, but develop into disciples of Christ. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we grow in spiritual maturity where we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and believe that everything we need in life will be provided for us.
Just like discovering a priceless, once we understand the abundant grace of God, we will want to share the good news with others. We will also want to be equipped to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and grow to disciple others with the Word of God. As mature believers, we know that we are pilgrims and sojourners on earth. Therefore, we will invest in eternity where moth and rust cannot destroy, and respond by living intentionally for the Lord. Our relationship with God will no longer be based on what can God do for us, but on how we can make our lives count for the Lord.
What does “those who live should live no longer for themselves” mean? These are the questions we should ask ourselves: Do we seek the face of God regarding what He wants for our lives? Do we respond to the preaching and teaching of the Word? Do we live out the truth of God in our lives? Are we serving Him with the gifts and talents He gave us?
No longer living for ourselves means we will want to live out the new life in the new creation realities with what God has entrusted to us. It means taking the great commission of being entrusted with the word and ministry of reconciliation seriously, knowing that we are the ambassadors of God to speak for and make known His Kingdom on earth.
How do we live for Him? Our entire value system should change the moment we understand the truth from the Gospel. Our priorities are aligned with God and the teaching of His word. We know that life is temporal, and we can’t bring anything with us into eternity. On the other hand, we know that there are heavenly rewards, and we live for Him through a life of consecration—in holiness, and being set apart for God. Instead of wanting God to do things for us, we want to be effective disciples of Christ in the marketplace and the neighbourhood.
Sermon Series: God’s Compelling Love
