I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I now 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
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This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, our sisters have reminded us again and again of this truth. Here are a few highlights from the devotionals that Ann, Ahmee, Cynda and Tina wrote earlier this week.
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In The Great Exchange, Cynda brought our attention to the truth of what Christ accomplished for us.
“I know Christ was crucified for me. But I never thought about what that really means.
- Christ swapped places with me
- We exchanged lives
- He became the sinner, I became the sinless
Even as I type this…I cannot comprehend the full impact of that statement.
What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Galatians 5:24 NLT puts it like this:
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed
the passions and desires of their sinful nature
to His cross and crucified them there.
Quite an exchange, isn’t it? Why would Christ sacrifice Himself in exchange for me? Romans 8:37 NLT holds the answer “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Christ loves us and wants us to be victorious. He laid down His life in exchange for ours, so we could spend eternal life with Him. He chose to die for me. Now that is amazing love.”
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In Living A New Life, Tina shared some important points of the Apostle Paul’s (formerly Saul) conversion.
“Paul was freed from the Law. He was freed from the rules the Pharisees had created for the Jewish people to follow, making the burden impossible for everyone to come close to God. With Paul’s conversion and baptism, he could speak to the Jews and the Gentiles with authority and eloquence. He learned about faith. He learned about Jesus’ love for everyone, not just the Jewish people but also for the Gentiles.
I am glad Jesus recruited Paul for the Gentiles. He is a great example of what Christ did for you and me. He sacrificed for us His life to give us the gospel.”
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In So Wait…Who Am I Then?, Ahmee shared some thoughts concerning her purpose and place in God’s eyes.
“One of the first things I had to learn to do was die to myself. This is something that has to be done daily. I hesitated. If I was to let go of who I had always been, then who would I be? How could I be me and not be me at the same time? To me this seemed impossible. God was going to change me into someone different, someone I didn’t know. And the last thing I wanted to do was give up my uniqueness. It took some time, but God showed me that he did not want to eliminate me…He was proud of creating me. What he wanted was to improve me. When you improve something, the original is there, but its been made better and that was God’s plan. The angry Ahmee would be kinder, gentler Ahmee. All the while my uniqueness is still present just more Christ-like.
I was then who the world made and influenced me to be. I am now who my Father says I am. Each day I am growing and changing to be more like the person God intended me to be. All the while I am and will always be the only Ahmee He ever has made or will make. Why not be the best version of me?”
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And in Dying With Christ, Ann reminds us of our new life…Resurrection life!
“As Christians we have died to the Law as a means of salvation and now live through Christ for God. Sin no longer has control over us.
Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,
why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?
Colossian 2:20
As Christ was risen from the dead we also now live with Him in Resurrection life. Christ and His Strength lives within us becoming the Source of all life and the center of all our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ’s risen life is continually communicated to us.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3″
