October 10
The Motive
of Love
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.
Daily Steps
This final entry on The Call to Mission provides the ultimate, defining motive for every action of the missionary heart (Day 284): Christ’s love compels us. All self-denial (Day 283) and tireless service (Day 282) is fueled not by duty or guilt, but by the overwhelming, transformative power of God’s love.
The peace in this principle is found in grateful devotion:
The Compelling Motive: The phrase Christ’s love compels us means Christ’s love controls, urges, or holds us together. It is the irresistible force that drives the believer into mission. We are not driven by the fear of failure, but by the overwhelming experience of God’s unfailing love (Day 218).
The Great Exchange: The mission is rooted in the conviction that one died for all, and therefore all died. Christ's death on the cross was an act of substitution: He died for us, and when He died, we died to our old, sinful self (The Redemption of the Cross, Day 225).
The Resulting Life: This exchange mandates a new way of living: that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. Our Call to Mission is simply living a life of grateful devotion—a life of purposeful action (Day 274) devoted entirely to the One who secured our salvation and eternal joy (Day 261).
Your peace is secured by grateful devotion. Embrace the Legacy of Joy (Day 271) and the Heart of the Missionary today by allowing Christ’s love to compel you. Live no longer for yourself, but for Him who died and was raised again.
Reflective Question
If Christ's love compels us, how does your current daily routine reflect a life lived for Him rather than for yourself? What is one specific decision you can make today, driven solely by grateful devotion to Christ?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I confess my tendency to make my life about my own desires. I thank You that Christ’s love compels me and that He died and was raised for my redemption. I pray for the power of the Holy Spirit (Day 279) to continually move me to live no longer for myself, but for Him. Secure my peace today in this grateful devotion, making my entire life a joyful extension of Your Call to Mission. Amen.
