crucified

Tonight in our small group, we had a great discussion on one verse found in Galatians. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 -NIV) It was interesting to hear what these words means to various people. As is usually the case, God used His Word to say just what each of us needed to hear.

God is speaking to me about dying to myself in some specific areas. It is my natural tendency to focus on physical things rather than spiritual things. This usually runs in cycles. At times, the things of God rise to the top of my life in simple fashion. It is easy to find my stride. Then there are the other 364 days of the year.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die every day”, which means that this Christian life is a continual process of self discipline. I wish that this were not necessary. I wish I could just make the decision to do things God’s way and that would be it. But it is a battle. It always has been and it always will be.

The good news is, the battle is not mine. It is not a matter of making up my mind or working hard to get the job done. It is a matter of trusting in God’s grace. He will do what I can’t. It is my job simply to cooperate with him. This is “Christ living in me”. This is only available as “I am crucified with (Him)”.