“For Christ’s love compells 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”
– 2 Corinthians 5:15-15 –
The love of Christ towards us presses us, urges us, propels us, dominates us, forces us, keeps us together, and leaves us no other option. It seems ver abirtrary, right? Where is God’s respect for my personal decision?
Paul tells us that his love is so strong that it wrenches an answer of love from my heart. We love Him because He first loved us (Rom. 5:8). Impacted by that love, I cannot do anything else but love Him, stop living for myself, and begin living for Him… and for all of those who need me to be a cunduit of that love.
Let us remember the story of Derek Redmond, the athlete who had trained his whole life to compete in the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. He had been to the operating room five times, and even so, he was the favorite to win gold in the 400 meter race.
The race begins. Lane five. Everything is going amazingly. But with only 150 meters to the finish line, he feels an intense pain in his hamstring. He wills himself to keep going, but can’t. He falls to the ground in intense pain. Then, as the medical team is approaching, he decides to stand up and continue walking toward the finish line. He stops; tears of impotence and suffering fill his face. The race has already ended and his dreams are broken. But he dicides to continue.
Then a man from the crowd clears a path toward him. Who is this? His father, Jimmy Redmond. He comes near his son and tells him, “It’s okay, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
Derek answers, “Dad, I have to finish the race.”
Then his father holds him and whispers, “Then let’s finish it together.”
When the love of God compels us, we are going to have a genuine interest in helping others finish the race. This principle always inspired Paul’s life.
What did the apostle do if ever his ardor in the path of duty flagged for a moment?
“One glance at the cross caused him to gird up anew
the lions of his mind and press forward in the way
of self-denial. In his labors for his brethren he relied much
upon the manifestation of infinite love in the sacrifice of Christ,
with its subduing, constraining power” (Gospel Workers, p. 600).
There are many broken, crippled people in the race to heaven.
For them, and for ourselves,
we need to hold each other up and arrive together,
because “the love of Christ compels us.”
May the Love of Christ be with you, today and every day…