Compelled....

Have you ever felt compelled to do something or say something?   The "urge" just strikes you and you are compelled to just, well, to just do it...

 2 Corinthians 5:14-15    "For Christ's Love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."

Paul states that the Love of Christ compels him simply because he is convinced.  Convinced of what?   Paul believes that Christ is who He claimed to be...the Messiah; the One who died for all yet lives!

The fact that Christ died and was buried in a tomb...that He was raised from the dead and LIVES compelled Paul to continue...even after he had been falsely accused, beaten and jailed; the Love of Christ compelled this man to continue...he had an authentic encounter with this Christ...the man who was dead yet walked the earth after his burial...Paul had an encounter with the Love of Christ!

You could say that Paul was radical about his faith walk; he was radical about persecuting those that followed Jesus until he had his encounter on the way to Damascus.  At that point, Paul came face to face with Christ...Paul's life was never the same.  There was a visible transformation in the life of Paul...he went from being driven or compelled to persecute and even execute Christ-followers to a man that was compelled to spread the Good News!  A radical transformation after an authentic encounter with Jesus.

Our own life should so mirror that of Paul...

There should be a defining moment in our life that has transformed us - our thinking - our behavior - our speech.  Our encounter with the Love of Christ should compel us to live a life transformed...simply because we are convinced that Jesus IS who He claimed to be....the Messiah; the One who died for all yet lives. 

So I ask you...if you have had an encounter with Jesus, how has it compelled you?