Crucified With Christ

 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Gal 2:20

          We can become so familiar with those words that we lose all spiritual sight of the weight of that statement. The Lord our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6) gave Himself up for me! 
     “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us”...

  -gave Himself so that we could go on and live however we desire in this present age?!! No! gave Himself for us-

“to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.  These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.  Let no one disregard you.” Titus 2:11-15

“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.  Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” Romans 6:5,6,7     No longer a slave to sin; live as a free man.  It was for freedom that you have been set free. Gal 5:1  Oh, what good, beautiful news. May we LIVE in the light of that TRUTH and speak and share it.

Oswald Chambers1 
"...he (Paul) does not say, 'I have determined to imitate Jesus Christ,' or, 'I will endeavour to follow Him; - but- ' I have been identified with Him in His death.'  When I come to such a moral decision and act upon it, then all that Christ wrought for me on the Cross is wrought in me.  The free committal of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the chance to impart to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.
         '....Nevertheless I live...'  The individuality remains, but the mainspring, the ruling disposition, is radically altered.  The same human body remains, but the old satanic right to myself is destroyed.
          'And the life which I now live in the flesh..,' not the life which I long to live and pray to live, but the life I now live in my mortal flesh, the life which men can see, 'I live by the faith of the Son of God.'  This faith is not Paul's faith in Jesus Chris, but the faith that the Son of God has imparted to him-- 'the faith of the Son of God.'  It is no longer faith in faith, but faith which has overleapt all conscious bounds, the identical faith of the son of God."

"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."  1 Cor.. 1:30 

Oh Lord, thank you for rescuing us from the domain of darkness and transferring us to Your kingdom, in whom we have the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13,14).  We pray for many eyes to be opened to Your truth.  We pray that you would send out workers into Your harvest (Matt. 9:36-38) and that we ourselves would take up Your call-

"...to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."          Acts 26:17b,18  

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,2 even to the end of the age."          Matt. 28:19,20

May we not respond, 'Who am I?  I can't,'
         but humbly say "Here am I.  Send me."

1 My Utmost for His Highest: March 21

2 see also Excel Still More: I Will Be With You

Do Not Steal His Glory

Let us confess that apart from Him, we can do nothing!

Let us not steal glory that belongs to God and to Him alone.  
We, without Him, can do nothing.

Where then is boasting?  It is excluded.

Let us not boast in ourselves or how He can use us- 
rather let us boast that He can use us. 
Because with Him, all things are possible!

Oh, that our focus and motivation may all be on Him and for His glory. 

       “Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable Being who says, 'Oh well, sin doesn’t matter much'?  God never coerces, neither does He ever accommodate His demands to human compromise, and we are disloyal to Him if we do……Nothing can hinder God’s purpose in a personal life but the person himself…… It is extraordinary how things fall off from a man like autumn leaves once he comes to the place where there is no rule but that of personal domination of the Holy Spirit.”   Oswald Chambers

      

        Be (being) filled1- Eph 5:18- personally dominated by the Holy Spirit and abandoning all to Him, let Him lead.  Asking Him to empty you of yourself and to fill you to overflowing with His Spirit, follow close. He will lead you on level ground and enable you to walk on your high places as you seek Him first. Be in the Word and in prayer to hear your daily assignment and to partake of your daily sustaining bread.

He will lead you and guide you for His name’s sake and for His glory. (Psalm 31:3)

1 "Be filled"  Pres. imp. pass. "The idea of the word is 'control.'  The indwelling Spirit of God is the one who should continually control and dominate the life of the believer..  The present calls for a habitual and continuing action. Passive could be permissive pass.; "allow yourselves to be...:". This is further supported by imperative (command)."  From The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament.  Rogers and Rogers.