Day 3 - Week 73 - Galatians 2:20 ""I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

You know, this verse encapsulates the whole concept of Christian faith...memorize this verse and you don't have to worry about delivering your testimony...you can recite this verse and explain the transformation that occurs when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.

When that happens, when a person understands the powerful love of God that allowed His Son to come to earth, to explain God's love to us, to die for us and show us the power that God has over death through the resurrection...then that person is able to state that they have shared in Jesus of Nazareth's crucifixion.  That they have been willing to give their earthly life away in order to share in the eternal life that is now available to them through Christ.  They have been "reborn" as Jesus told Nicodemus.  They see that they are not only flesh and blood, but eternal spirit, created for eternity.  With the realization of eternal life, mortal life is no longer so necessary to hold on to, temporal existence and the momentary joys that come through material gain are now seen through eyes that can visualize the briefness of the things that we now touch and see, in comparison to the eternal, glorious life that awaits us as children of the Most High.

The reborn person sees that while we are still alive in the fleshly bodies that we have been given, we are so much more than that fleshly body.  We have Christ living within us...prompting us toward His good works...works that have been prepared for us in advance.  We know that this fleshly body can do things that will make eternal differences, and we know that those works are what we are called to accomplish. 

So, when someone asks us as Christians, "What are you living for?", what should our response be?

"I have given my life to Christ, the One who died for me.  The rest of my life here on earth is dedicated to doing what He calls me to do...every day. He died for me, I will live for Him."

That's pretty much it - Galatians 2:20 - our life, in Christ, for Him, who died for us.

Day 2 - Week 73 - Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Do you ever have one of those days that you just feel sorry for yourself?  For whatever reason?  Sometimes it's justified, isn't it?  Tonight, I'm feeling a little less than wonderful...upset stomach, chills, tired, just that vague "yukky" feeling you sometimes get.  And I'm feeling a little sorry for myself. 

But then I read this verse and I'm reminded...nothing is really about me anyway.  If I don't feel good for an evening, so be it.  One little night in my little earth story is pretty inconsequential, for I have already "been crucified."  My life is invisible...or it should be.  My life has been replaced with that of Jesus living within me, and if I'm not allowing Him to do so by pridefully overriding His presence by demanding my own, then I have not yet been completely crucified, and I have some additional dying to do.

Wow - I just wrote that and I am fully convicted that it's true about me...I often do not allow Christ to fully live within me and I know that there is still much of me to be crucified.  I cannot make this statement as convincingly as Paul did for I often demand my presence, my way, my truth, stifling His presence, His way, His absolute truth.  But I pray that I am in the process of being crucified, that I am in the process of allowing my selfish desires to be replaced with the desires of the Spirit of Christ dwelling within me. 

And I am reminded (as my momentary "not feeling so well" pity party wanes) that crucifixion is painful...that letting go of self is not necessarily enjoyable or pleasant, especially when I am focusing on self.  But just as Jesus endured the pain of the cross, which pain I cannot even begin to comprehend, by focusing on His mission of obedience to His Father, when I focus on what God desires for me and from me, I am given the ability to endure my crucifixion...a crucifixion of much less magnitude, but nonetheless, the crucifixion that I am called to.

Day 1 - Week 73 - Continuing on in Faith!

This week we'll add our fourth verse in the series of "Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word"...do you have the first three down?

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God's gift.
Ephesians 2:9 "Not from works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Do you see a pattern? What is grace "for"?  To save us.  What is the miracle of our transformation through our new lives in Christ Jesus "for"?  To accomplish God's good works here on earth.  But what is the catalyst for these wonderful actions to start taking place?  FAITH.  And with the response of faith, the reactions to faith start occurring:  our salvation immediately...and then good works to be accomplished all throughout our saved lives.

What kind of transformation takes place when we place our faith in God and in His Son as our Savior?  Well our next verse talks about that miraculous transformation:

"I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Galatians 2:20

This is a powerful verse of faith.  When we can recite this verse with true commitment and conviction, we can expect true transformation.  For this verse express a complete surrender of self in order to allow our lives to take on all the attributes of Jesus...to be a humble servant, ready to do whatever it is that our Father asks of us.  We give up all "rights" to our earthly plans...we completely put our lives in His hands.  And we do so because of the acceptance of a love so amazing, so unnatural, so utterly undeserved, that we know we will never fully understand, but in which we completely trust. 

Amazing love, how can it be, that you my King should die for me?

Amazing love, I know it's true, It's my joy to honor You, in all I do, I'll honor You. ~ Chris Tomlin

Let's review our past verses so they stay close to us...

The Holy Spirit's Role in our Lives (6)
Ephesians 5:18 "And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in to the Lord in your hearts."
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."
Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
2 Timothy 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you...guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us."

Joy: God's Kind of Happiness (12)
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:5 "Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near."
Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
James 1:3-4 "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray constantly."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."


Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
and now
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." 

Dwell on this verse this week, and remember that you are now living, even though you are still living in a fleshly body, the life of Christ in you.  Because of your faith in Him, He lives in you. 

Faith.