The Advent Adventure- 2 Days to Christmas: Controlled by Love
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"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all … we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”
2 Corinthians 5:14a, 15 (ESV/NLT)
Our Advent Adventure is almost over. Just two days left until we celebrate the greatest gift ever given at Christmas – the love of God. God doesn’t just love; HE IS LOVE. When once you experience the profound gift of God’s love, your life can never be the same. It is so transformative that the apostle Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth to impress on them the power of God’s love in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all … we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”
Did you notice that phrase, “For the love of Christ controls us….” Take a moment and ask yourself right now, what controls you? Some translations render this word control as guides or constrains or compels or rules our lives. Is it love? When the love of Christ takes over, your life is no longer self-serving. Your motivation totally changes from one to please yourself to one that seeks to please God in everything you do and say and think. Your desire is to live for Christ, who died and was raised again for you! His love so permeates your heart and life that you willingly yield your life to His will, convinced that He loves you more than you could ever possibly understand. How do you know that? Just look to Calvary. Look to the cross. It is the estimate of His love for you! At the cross, He said, “You’re worth dying for!” He would rather die than live without you! He created you to be in an intimate and personal relationship with Him. Have you experienced Calvary’s love? It will radically transform you! Nothing else in this world will matter as much. It’s all temporary. His love is eternal!
Yesterday, we looked at one of the best-known verses in all the Bible, John 3:16. The writer, John, rephrases that passage in another letter, 1 John 3:16 (MSG), where he writes, “This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed His life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.”
Now, that is a love that will control everything you do and say and think when you surrender your life to Him. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the attributes of that love from the greatest love chapter in all the Bible.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.