For the love of Christ constraineth us… 2 Corinthians 5:14
Wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of eating to stay alive, we could eat just for the pleasure of eating when it was convenient for us? Wouldn’t it be great if you never had to take a shower to stay clean; we could just shower when we felt like enjoying it. I think it would be wonderful if we only had to sleep when we had the time or when we felt like experiencing the satisfying feeling of sleep rather than wasting all that time just because we get tired. Unfortunately, as convenient as it would be to not have to take time out of our day to do those things, there is no way around them. We must eat, we must shower, and we must sleep. We are compelled by our human nature to do those things.
Sadly, many Christians only want to act like a Christian when it is convenient for them. When they go to church, they carry their Bibles and dress in their good clothes. When they are around their Christian friends, they say the right things, and, occasionally, may even talk about the things of God. Put them in the world, however, and they become a completely different person. No longer will they dress right, talk right, or act right because it is no longer convenient. Maybe the people in the world will laugh at them and make fun of them; maybe they will be shunned; or maybe they will not earn accolades among their peers, and that is a hardship they are not willing to endure.
In 2 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul reminds us that we are compelled to be Christians all the time. Just as we cannot eat or sleep only when it is convenient for us, we cannot be Christians only when it is convenient either. There are few people who were crazy enough to reject food or sleep until it killed them, yet many Christians constantly reject Christ and their Christianity until their spiritual lives wither away to nothing. Can you walk, run, laugh, and play when you have no physical strength from lack of food or sleep? Of course not; and how can you expect to fight the battles against Satan with no spiritual strength?
There are times when it would be helpful to not have to take time to eat or sleep, but every time we do, we are benefitted by it. The same is true of our being Christians. Sometimes we are disadvantaged (in a worldly perspective) because we took a stand for Christ. But just like eating is part of our physical nature, acting like a Christian all the time is part of our spiritual nature. And each time we do, the gain far outweighs any loss.
Read also: 2 Corinthians 5:10-17
Quote of the day: “You gained attention but lost respect.”