Controlled by Christ's Love

I had a very good time of devotions the other day. I am currently going through my bible searching for all the verses that have the word BELIEVE in it. There are a lot!! I got stuck on one verse a few days ago that still hasn't released my attention! It is such a powerful verse that I can't help but share it with all of you! 2 Corinthians 5:14 "Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life." Now I don't know about you but when I read this TONS of things entered my mind. The fact that Christ's love controls me? Do I allow that to happen each and every moment of every day? Since I believe Christ died for all have I put my old life to death? What would my life look like if I did allow Christ's love to control me? I think it would be absolutely amazing I can't lie. I think of the times that I have truly felt like Christ was leading me into something and although I may not have wanted to do it at the time still by being faithful and obedient and following through with it I grew in such great ways! To have Christ's love completely control me would mean for me one thing.....to surrender ALL OF ME! To give up all my wants, all my desires, all my thoughts, my words, my actions, and every piece of me and allowing Jesus to do with me as He pleases.... Hmmm sounds quite familiar to the teachings of Jesus and how God desires a person to love Him with all his hear, soul, strength, and mind. Sounds like complete surrender and devotion! A disciple of Christ must move past themselves and look for only one thing; the will of Christ. When we allow Jesus to rule in every area of our lives we are no longer living a boring life of selfishness. We are living for a purpose continually seeking how to best glorify Him. Our old way of life becomes less and less appealing. As He controls us our old nature dies. We are actually living this verse out, putting to death our old life! It can only come from surrendering all we are to Christ. The moment we don't surrender we are saying to Him that we don't want Him to control, that we still want this part of who we are and sorry Jesus you just can't have that yet.

This verse has spoken so deeply to me because this is where I want to be. I want to be in a place were I can surrender all I am. My time, my money, my comforts, my body, my actions, thoughts all of me must come into submission to Jesus so that I can live the new life of freedom in Him. That I can proclaim His name above all else!

This week I challenge you to meditate, ponder, think over this verse. Are there areas in your life that need to come into submission to Christ? Are you still living in some of your old lifestyles that you know Jesus has freed you from? Take time, seek God and allow Him to speak into the areas of your life that you have not yet allowed Him to control. God desires a heart that is surrendered to Him. Not halfway but completely! Jesus didn't just die for half our sins He died for them all! We can't halfheartedly serve God and think we are doing good. He desires we love Him and serve Him with all we are so that He can shine through us in any area of our life!

God has really been impressing upon me for the last few months to just be real. To live out my faith that for so many years I have claimed to have. There was a time in my life where I wasn't living out what I proclaimed. Now I feel like there is nothing else that I can do but simply live my faith out for real. He is leading me into a deeper relationship with Him and I simply have to change. I can't be the person I used to be because through knowing God come transformation. There are verses all over the bible that claim we receive this "New Life in Christ." We are transformed when we meet Him and decide to give our lives over to Him. Well the new life we receive is something that we must live out. Daily coming to grips with who we are in our human nature and surrendering that to God. Coming to Him and asking Him to mold and shape us into His perfect image. It is something we cannot do on our own. 1 John 2:4 "If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. God really opened up my eyes to what this verse means. He revealed to me that there is a difference between knowing ABOUT God and TRULY KNOWING GOD. When we know about God our lives aren't really changed. It seems all the knowledge is in our heads but we do absolutely nothing with it. Sure we may apply some of it but in all actuality, we probably only apply the parts that are easy and doesn't cause us to step out of our comfort zone. To truly Know God means that every aspect of our lives is changed. We are surrendered to Him seeking Him and His will above our own wants and desires. To Know God is to Love God, to love God is to Obey God. This simply means that no matter what, we will diligently seek to obey Him in all areas of our life. Our lives will change when we meet God. There is absolutely no way that we can experience the power of God, encounter His awesome presence and walk away unchanged. As Christ Followers God has placed us here to live according to His word. To serve Him in all we do. To love others as He loves us. This verse describes that when we claim to be a Christ Follower and claim to KNOW GOD, and we don't obey Him we aren't in anyway living according to His will. We aren't in any way in relationship with Him. To live in the truth means to live in obedience to Him. To seek daily to be changed and living in fellowship with Him.

I challenge you this week to simply take a look at your life. How are you living according to the truth and how do you need to start living in the truth. Do you truly know God or do you simply know about Him. Do you invite Him into all your daily activities and submit yourself to Him asking Him how you can join Him in what He is doing? Or do you simply only come to Him when you need something and no other times. Only you know if you are living in complete honesty with God. He desires to know you on an intimate level. He wants to change you, and use you to reveal His Glory and His love to the world. He wants us all to Know Him and to be changed by Him. To live in the honest and amazing truth of the word!