and he 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 5:15]
our oldest son’s middle name is thomas. he’s named after my grandfather, and my wife’s grandfather, and multiple other people on both sides of our family. we gave him that name as a way to honor our family members. the idea of carrying something on in the name of someone that came before you is not uncommon. we see charities named after people who championed their cause. scholarships named and funded in honor of individuals that valued and embodied certain things in their life.
sometimes i find myself caught up in figuring out the logic of the idea of living for Christ. he died for my freedom so what are the connecting points that lead me to have to live for him. and boy does that thought miss the point. we didn’t name our son after our grandfathers because we had to. we did it because we love them and they loved us and shaped who we are. we don’t name charities after fallen soldiers or cancer victims or civil rights pioneers because we have to. we do it because we want to continue to carry the banner they carried. because we are moved by who they are and what they have done. because their fight is better than my fight. and it’s easy to lose sight of that when it comes to Jesus. i don’t live for him because i am forced to. i live for him because when i look at what he did for me, for mankind, i can’t help but be moved. when i see the fight he fought there’s no other fight worth fighting. i live for him because his love compels me to do so. i live for him willingly and joyfully.
as i said, i can forget this often. i’m so shortsighted. i need to be reminded of the sacrifice and victory of Jesus constantly. so today, i encourage you to meditate on these scriptures and be reminded of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, which impacted your life in such a way that you would never want to live for yourself or anything else again other than him. this is a God and Savior worth living for!
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [romans 5:8]
what then shall we say to these things? if God is for us, who can be against us? he who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [romans 8:31–32]
but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. for as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [1 corinthians 15:20–21]
~ keith kozlowski