What Compels You
Well, now, if this day ain’t struttin toward us like a bigheaded lil’ ol’ Banty rooster that just found a mirror an’ got to lookin’ at himself, I don’t know what is ‘cause this here passage starts out like watchin’ a woodpecker try to teach a cow how to be doin’ tap dancin’. You know somethin’ important is goin’ on, but you also know half the crowd is missin’ the point entirely. That’s why Paul steps right in with 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, which tells us, “For Christ’s love compels 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.” This here verse is remindin’ us that it’s Christ’s love that compels us to be doin’ His work. Not guilt. Not pressure. Not tryin’ to impress folks who git to clappin’ louder than an ol’ fat raccoon bangin’ on a trash can lid. It’s Christ’s love. That there’s the big ol’ main engine right up under the hood.
You see, friend, when the cross moves from bein’ a lil’ ol’ story you’ve heard to a real truth that grabs you right by the heart, somethin’ inside you shifts. You can’t be sittin’ still anymore. You can’t just shrug and say, “Well, somebody else will do it.” You git to feelin’ that there tug, the kind that pulls stronger than a stubborn ol’ mule that done spotted a fresh patch o’ clover. You just start servin’ ‘cause you can’t help it. His love gets right on inside you and keeps on pushin’ you forward like a river current carryin’ a driftin’ leaf.
Paul knew that there guilt fizzles out faster than a firecracker in a rainstorm. Obligation wears thin like an ol’ worn out pair o’ overalls. People pleasin’ will drain you quicker than a thirsty lil’ ol’ goat at a water trough. But love? That there love just keeps right on goin’. Love don’t never ever quit. Love compels us to do more. That’s why Paul said that we no longer live for ourselves but for the One who died and rose again. When you remember what Jesus did for you, your feet should start movin’ ‘a-fore your brain ever even catches up with ‘em.
So, friend, if your motivation has done gotten all tangled up like fishing line in a cedar tree, come on an’ find your way right back to the cross. Sit with it. Think real hard on it. Let it git to movin’ you again. Christ’s love compels us to do His will for our lives. Let it be compellin’ you today.
Father, help me to remember the cross until it stirs my heart again. Let Your love be the reason I serve, the strength that carries me, and the fire that keeps me goin’. Be teachin’ me to live for You with joy and purpose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now, friend, as you git to wanderin right on back into your day, be keepin’ your heart pointed toward God the way a sunflower follows the mornin’ light. Be keepin’ in mind that a heart fueled by guilt gits to sputterin’ out like a tractor runnin’ on fumes, but a heart fueled by Christ’s love runs ‘bout as steady as a runnin’ creek after a spring rain. He knows every twist in your path, every critter that jumps out to startle you, and every place He plans to use you. Keep right on leanin’ into His love, keep right on walkin in His strength, and keep right on rememberin’ that the One who died for you is the One who is gonna’ be empowerin’ you to be livin’ for Him.
With joy,
Gwen
