Living in the Spirit
June 11, 2015

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.  –2 Corinthians 5:14-15

I am an NCIS fan. There is a scene in one of the shows following Ziva’s rescue from terrorists where Gibbs sits across the table and helps her deal with what had happened. She had been raised and trained as a contemporary Israeli warrior to kill before she got killed. Her whole perspective in life was geared for the fight. The experience of watching an innocent man murdered and her treatment by the terrorists had opened her eyes to the wrongness of the violence engrained in her very being from childhood. She sees no reason to continue living. Gibbs says something to the effect that that part of her did die out there. It no longer ruled her life.

In our scripture today Paul is saying the same thing to us. Christ offered his life as a sacrifice so that we could move the Kingdom of God forward, not through violence and hate, but through love. It is not an easy transition to make. Old habits die hard and we do pay the consequences of our own actions, but the way out of the mire of evil exists in Jesus Christ. 1 John says it better than I ever could:

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him…. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. –1 John 4:7-9, 17-18

Prayer: Transform each of us so that all the little things in our lives are ruled by love until all of our whole lives are ruled by love and the whole world is ruled by love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.