You No Longer Live for Yourself
ICS Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians 5:13-15 (NIV) If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 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.
Did you know that every believer in Jesus Christ has been entrusted with the message and ministry of reconciliation? God’s love compels us to bring the good news to those who have yet to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Being God’s messenger of reconciliation is the very purpose of your life on earth.
We need to have a paradigm shift that while we may have a secular job, because not everyone is called to be a member of the clergy or work full-time for the church, it is a means for us to support our family. Our primary purpose is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever God has placed us.
Therefore, if we truly understand our identity is in Christ and that we have the responsibility to share the gospel wherever we are, we shouldn’t take it too hard when we lose our position in the corporate world. We are messengers with a message for those who work alongside us, and we have the responsibility to share the gospel with our colleagues, neighbours, and loved ones. This is what it means to live for God and not for ourselves. We have a mission from God within the company we work for, and the skills given to us are merely a means to gain entry into the organisation because we have an important message to share. Our primary purpose is to be ambassadors of Christ and to be found faithful in sharing with those around us. When we view our work as worship, we will do our best in our job and share the good news when our spirit of excellence opens a door for us, just as it did for Daniel in the Old Testament.
The Apostle Paul says in the opening passage, ‘if we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you’. Some of you might wonder if we are too zealous for our faith or out of our minds to share the gospel with our colleagues. Even though we may be misunderstood by our peers, colleagues, and friends, we will still seize the opportunity to share the gospel and pray for others whenever we are led to do so because we know the urgency and the consequence of someone leaving this earth without God.
Sermon Series： We are an ambassador for Christ
