(2 Cor. 12:15) “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
Looking back, I remember as a child going to K-Mart with mom and dad to do a little shopping. I remember how excited I was to come to the toy aisle and would begin to grab everything in site. On more than one occasion, I was even allowed to get a toy that I had so desired. But it never failed; the very next time we came back to that place, I wanted another. And another, and another. And each time I got what I wanted, I wanted more and even expected more.
It didn’t matter that my folks had bought me a toy the previous trip. It didn’t matter that I already had an abundance of toys at home. The more they gave, the more I wanted, and expected. And when they would tell me, “NO”, I would be angry, and bitter.
Isn’t it amazing that even as adults, now with children of our own, and in some cases grand-children; that we are still so selfish that we only care about our desires?! Paul said to the church at Corinth, “the more I love you, and serve you, and give to you; the more you expect, and the less you love/appreciate me!” You can see that same concept in our marriages across America today! You can see that in our churches today, in our homes, and everywhere you look! People are more concerned with, “what about me?” than they are “what about Christ?”
Is it not enough, that Jesus laid down His life, suffered not only physical torment, but the weight of the sin of the world for you and me? Is it not our “reasonable service,” that we should serve our Lord and Savior with our lives?
Even more amazing than how selfish we act, is that Christ knows, and yet in spite of that; He still loves us, and is glad to. With the Holy Spirit of God working through the apostle Paul’s life, he said; I will very gladly spend (time, money, effort) and be spent (physically, emotionally, and mentally) for YOU! If we could only grasp the concept that our lives are not our own, and seek only to please our Lord; I believe with all my heart that we would no longer be concerned with the “what about me?” but rather with the “what about Christ!”
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