Monday, March 9, 2009
Constraining Love
(II Corinthians 5:14-21)
Paul instructs the Corinthians that they were given the “ministry of reconciliation,” the message of God’s love and forgiveness through Christ (18, 19). In addition, God has called us to be “ambassadors” who plead with the lost “in Christ’s stead” (20). For God to commit to us the “word of reconciliation,” the only message by which men can be saved, is an awe-inspiring honor and responsibility.
What motivates us—what drives us—to shoulder cheerfully such responsibility? Paul answers simply, “the love of Christ constraineth us.” The word “constrain” means to “impel or excite.” In other words, believers should be so excited about the Gospel that they eagerly embrace the responsibilities of an ambassador of Heaven.
We tend to talk about what excites us, don’t we? Sports, politics (in that case, usually what “angers” us), entertainment—all of these dominate our conversations. What about the Gospel? Are we ashamed? Or do we shy away from that topic because we don’t want to appear “fanatical?”
Paul seems to indicate that Christ’s love, where it is genuinely experienced in true conversion and belief, always presses the Christian to witness the Gospel. So, allow that inner excitement about Christ to flow from your lips in genuine, natural Christian witness. Tell someone about Christ today!
