Held and Compelled
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one (Jesus) has died for all, therefore all have died; and died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised."
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
(Part of the letter to the church of Corinth written by Paul and Timothy)
Controls (synecho): holds together, compels
Life (zao): spiritual life, restored to life
*Greek words in parentheses
Paul had a deep affection for the Corinthians even when they falsely accused him, he showed them kindness even when they were difficult to love, and he was more concerned about their spiritual well-being than making a profit of any kind.
This was possible because the love of Christ controlled Paul (and Timothy).
Look at what the word controls means:
to hold together and to compel.
Paul was explaining to the Corinthian church, that he lived for Jesus with the life that had been awakened in Him through faith in Jesus Christ. He was HELD together by the powerful, persistent, perfect love of Christ and he was COMPELLED to love others with the same selfless love Christ demonstrated in His death on the cross.
Held:
"As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!" (Psalm 40:11)
His compassionate and kind love continually guards and keeps those who belong to Him.
In Christ we are forgiven, fully accepted, and faithfully loved. With His mercy He forgives us and with His faithful love, by His Holy Spirit, He guards our hearts from treasuring anything above Him, becoming bitter, hating others, and living selfishly.
"My Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love." (Psalm 59:17)
He is a refuge where we can continually and faithfully find shelter and receive His goodness and kindness.
"Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you." (Psalm 86:5)
The Lord is always ready to forgive. As we surrender ourselves to Him, He faithfully shows us His abundant, persistent, perfect love.
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;" (Lamentations 3:22)
His love and mercies are never consumed or spent.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 38-39)
NOTHING is strong enough to divide or put room between us and Christ's love.
"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)
We are rooted and grounded in Christ's love. That means, that His love is the nutrient-rich soil in which our lives grow and flourish. It is supernatural and independent of life's circumstances.
We are HELD with this love!!
This is the only love capable of completely satisfying our deepest desire and meeting our every need.
When we rest our faith in Jesus, His death, and resurrection, accepting Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, God makes us His children.
"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."
As we allow this Truth to anchor in our hearts and take root, we will feel the life-giving freedom it gives. We will feel the safety and security of Christ's love holding us together. God's perfect love casts out fear, we stand before our Father forgiven because of Jesus' self-sacrifice, and nothing can cut off His abundant supply of love and mercy toward us! Hallelujah! This is life changing!
Compels:
"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." (1 John 3:16)
Christ laid down His life not only so we could have salvation and know His love, but so we could in turn lay down our lives for others. So we could live for and reflect the One who died for us.
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1John 4:11)
Think of it this way: if we are rooted and grounded in Christ's love, like a plant that is nourished from the roots up, we will be healthy, fruitful and will multiply.
God intended Himself and His love for us to be so fulfilling and abundant that we would not only be completely satisfied in Him, but would be bursting with His love for others. As a result, we would spread this Truth to the lives around us.
He intended that as His children we would reflect Him, His Truth, and His love to a world filled with people suffocating and dying in the soil of sin, self-reliance, and self-righteousness.
"We love because He first loved us. For whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4:19, 21)
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."
(Matthew 5:44)
We are able to love because God loved us first. He is our Source of salvation and strength.
He loved us when we were His enemies, separated by our sin, unable to earn our own salvation. So He commands us to love all people: our brethren in Christ, our neighbors, and even our enemies.
We are able to do this because we are held with a love so perfect and so strong that it compels us to love others the same way.
So today, I encourage you to meditate on Christ's amazing love for you individually and to remember how He willingly showed us how great His love is by dying on the cross.
Christ's love will hold you and compel you. It will compel you to love others as Christ has loved you.
Blessings,
Amy
