Morning By Morning #162

We live to the Lord.

Romans 14:8

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

If it were God’s will, each of us might have gone straight to heaven at the moment of our conversion. It was not absolutely necessary for us to linger here to be fully prepared for immortality. It is certainly possible for someone to be taken to heaven, fully prepared to partake of his inheritance as a saint of light the moment he believes in Jesus. But our sanctification is a long, continual process, and we will not be perfected until we lay aside our bodies and enter “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19). Nevertheless, if the Lord had so willed it, He could have immediately changed us from imperfect to perfect and taken us to heaven.

Then why are we here? Would God keep His children out of paradise a single moment longer than necessary? Why is the army of the living God still on the battlefield when a single strike from heaven could give us victory? Why are His children still wandering here and there through a maze when one word from His lips would take us to the very center of our hopes in heaven?

The answer is that we are here so we may “live to the Lord” and lead others to know His love. We remain on earth to sow His good seed, to plow the unsown ground, and to proclaim the message of salvation. We are here as “the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13) to be a blessing to the world. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for Him and “as God’s fellow workers” (2 Cor. 6:1).

Let us live so our lives fulfill His purpose. Let us live committed, useful, holy lives “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph. 1:6). In the meantime we long to “be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:17) and sing each day:

My heart is with Him on His throne,

Scarce can I bear delay;

Each moment listening for His voice,

“Rise up…and come away” (Song 2:10 KJV).

Horatius Bonar, 1808 – 1889

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Many Christians are quick to say, “I’m willing to die for the Lord!” Yet how many of us are willing to live for Him? Remember Paul’s exhortation to us? “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Rom. 12:1). “Living sacrifices”—not dead sacrifices! God has called us to His work until He calls us home. Here is how Paul describes our ministry and message as believers:

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:18 – 20).

And we are to be a living memorial to Him, not a dead memorial. Peter said, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).