So That Others Might Live
By: Kristen L. McNulty
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Recently I watched a show about the Coast Guard. They showed the kind of training that they had to go through in order to be qualified and wow, was it intense.
But what struck me most is even after all the training, there was a missing piece of the puzzle. The instructor told the trainess that unless they truly believed the slogan of the Coast Guard and were willing to live it and die for it, they would not be good at their job. That slogan? "So that others might live."
You see in order to make is as a member of the Coast Guard, they had to be willing to do anything and give up anything, including their lives, so that they could save others.
What a beautiful picture of the Christian life.
You see "So others might Live" is not a mentality that started and ended with the Coast Guard. When Jesus came to earth, He lived and died the way He did so that others, you and I, might live. When the apostles were persecuted and executed, they did it so that others might live. And that life that is worth living and dying for is the one in Christ Jesus. It's the life that comes from knowing Him as saviour that both fills us for today and gives us eternal life for when we breathe our last on this earth.
After receiving that breathe of life, you and I are given a calling of our own. We are called to live our lives in a way that "others might Live". That means sharing the Good News, not hiding it in a closet. That means reaching out to those in need. That means living our lives with the life of Christ pouring out so that we are truly a blessing to everyone we come into contact with. That means not only serving and following Christ in the good times, but more importantly, clinging to Him when things get rough.
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." (2 Cor. 4:8-10)
Because often it is our reaction to when things go south that shines the light of Christ the loudest into the eyes of those around us. Just like the Coast Guard often isn't called in to save a life when the waters are calm, sometimes we are commissioned during the stormiest of times and we need to be prepared so that others might live.
We've been given eternal life. We are secure in the palm of Christ's hand, but there is a world out there that doesn't know Him. Are you willing to step out and risk a little so that others might live?
This devotional was aired as a part of the Making A Difference Christian Radio Show.