Alive by the faith of another

I was meditating on Galatians 2:20 again (I am crucified with Christ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave his life for me.)


I am alive now by the faith of Jesus Christ.


And so are you.


Ruminate on that a little bit - it is because of the faith and faithful of Jesus Christ that you can read these words, breathe this air, and think these thoughts.


It is because Jesus knew you would need a helping hand that he chose to suffer. On your behalf.


It is so easy to take it for granted. But it appears to lose its luster. People change. Jesus doesn't seem as bright any more.


Jesus didn't change - we did. We give up our first love for distraction, addiction, or election - but we have the choice right now!


Repent! Remember Jesus died for you!

Anti-Humanism

One of the least-popular aspects of scripture has got to be the suffering. Most of us live in a society where the human body is worshiped, human strengths are lauded, human weaknesses are hidden, and honor, glory, and truth in their own right are often replaced with respect for objects, worship of celebrities, and relative morality.
Therefore, it must be horrifying, confusing, and troubling to read anywhere in scripture where it suggests we should intentionally suffer. The scripture I point at today says
""I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Now, to be sure, this is a metaphor - the concept stands. Will you choose to suffer for Christ? Will you choose to voluntarily do the hard thing, to live out that life that Christ calls you to? Will you 'live by the faith of the Son of God'?

Say Yes! Choose to suffer for Christ - his burden is always easier to bear! Choose to do the hard thing - to live the live Christ calls you to! Choose to live by the faith of the Son of God!

Challenge for the day:
Reply to this post!
What does following Christ appear as in your life?
What is a challenge following Christ has wrought in your life?
Are you finding it hard to ever do it - share a struggle!

Everything old is new ... err.... still old

We know from Ecclesiastes (v 1:9) that "there is no new thing under the sun". And yet the concept of new-ness is mentioned in several places.
The verse I would like to mention today is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17
- Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.

Can you imagine - God, through Samuel, has said there is no new thing under the sun - and yet, we can be a new creature in Christ!

If you have ever labored to rebel against your own sinful nature - to choose ONLY those tasks and thoughts that are aligned with God's will for your life - you will inevitably find yourself struggling. If you do it long enough and you will feel old ... worn out ... aged. I imagine, on some level, Samuel felt the same thing. He had done every good and grand thing he could think of and so basically stated "yup - not only have I been there and done that, but nobody is doing anything truly new." The gravity of this loss - this fundamental self-awareness - of our fundamental inability to make new things or think truly new thoughts can be crushing.

And yet, we can be new creatures in Christ! We can choose, this day, this hour, this moment - to do something truly new!

This is the one thing Satan can never deliver. No matter how tempting that apple, no matter how alluring the drugs, and no matter how opportune that decision seems to be - it all leads down exactly the same road. There are different facets to the road, but it is a very, very old road.

Christ has a better road. It is so new, in fact, that most of us have a fundamental inability to even perceive it!

But it is there. Christ has built it. And he wants to walk it with you.

Will you join Him?