Week of November 23

Our motivation for Christian service should be the love of Christ. Paul set this standard of living not based upon his lifestyle alone, but Christ’s. Now, that is a tall order, wouldn’t you say? The possessor of the life-changing gift of reconciliation with God will certainly find it a privilege to tell people about the gift of new life wherever we go. “Reconciliation is the removal of human enmity toward God” (HCBC). This was accomplished by Christ. Let’s explore Paul’s words about this remarkable gift from God.

Not terror of God. Paul uses the phrase “fear of the Lord” and many of us grow a bit rigid because we recall the hard preaching rhetoric we heard as children in revivals. The Lord was portrayed as a wrathful or stern Father who required His disciples to advance His purposes throughout the world. Paul certainly puts an end to such reasoning! The fear of the Lord is not the terror that God can arouse in the hearts of people (cf. Genesis 35:5; BC). 

Reverence for God. Instead, Paul writes that he held a profound respect, a “reverential awe” for Christ, and this was his motivation. He knew that Christ was the divine accountant and future judge of his life and ministry (cf. 5:10). His ultimate motivation to serve, however, was grounded in the fact that Christ had radically changed his life. As he writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17a). Paul reveres the living Savior, whose death and resurrection threw open the doorway to life eternal. Consider how different your life is now that you have been changed by Christ’s grace, and then live out your respect for the Savior.

A new passion. Our motivation to serve Christ leads to a new passion! We become most interested in the business of seeing people come to know the Savior. Paul uses a key word (“so”), indicating a shift in his focus to the consequences of Christ’s death for his own life of service. First, he no longer regards people from a human or “worldly” point of view, based on external appearances (5:12, 16). Christian servants no longer see people primarily in terms of nationality; instead, they view people according to spiritual status. In other words, Christians have an entirely new attitude about people. Churches where I served as pastor practiced a “Romans 3:23 demographic.” Since all had sinned, then we would be in full pursuit of sinners with the Gospel. 

A radically transformed life. Secondly, the next outcome of Christ’s death and resurrection is new life. People who receive Christ are made totally new in Him (5:17). The old way of living and thinking gives way to a “new outlook” that we “live out” daily (cf. Galatians 6:15; EBC). The church should be leading the way to healing in our racially divided nation by living the Way!

Religion did nothing then, nor does it now, to heal soul sickness. Paul writes about a spiritually changed life. As much as I disliked receiving penicillin injections as a young boy, they worked. I would go to the doctor with a terribly sore throat, achy body, high fever and, within a day or two following the visit, I had new health. 

The spiritual point. Christ gave you new life through His grace. The doctor who gave me penicillin bore no personal sacrifice other than putting up with my whining about the needle. Jesus, however, bore our sickness (sin) on the cross, carried it to the grave, and burst forth by God’s power to provide us with new lives. He enables service-based reverence that is abundantly apparent in how our lives are changed and how we treat others.

1. We check the fruit in the dining area bowl on a regular basis to make sure that it is fresh. Take a moment to check the fruit of the Spirit in your life (Galatians 5:22-23). Are you bearing the type of fruit that is born out of deep and profound reverence for Christ? If not, then make the necessary changes.

2. For Families: We encouraged families to begin a “Love Apple Tree” project a few days ago. How is that experiment going in your family? Is everyone paying attention to the Fruit of the Spirit and the words and acts of love toward each other? We can imagine that your tree is filling up with apples bearing the names of your whole family.

For the next few weeks, you might also add a different kind of fruit, like a pear, and spotlight how your family members are now treating people outside the family. If there are reports of words or actions that show the love of Christ outside of your home, then it’s time to add a pear on the tree! Paul teaches us that we honor Christ when we treat others well. And especially when we are agents of reconciliation.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock