Died Lately?

Galatians 2:20 ESV
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And 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.

This transition is a big hurdle for all of us. To let go of the “old man,” or our old nature, and allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit. We still retain our old nature when we accept Christ in our lives – this is obvious because we still are here; we are still flesh. In this verse, Paul puts it this way: “…the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” He still acknowledges he is human but has put his faith in Jesus. Paul, and us, still have a free will but he chooses to give his will over to Christ, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

We saw Jesus do the same thing in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:39, 42). Jesus sought God’s will (the Father) over His own will. We too need to desire this. To put God’s will over our own will and to choose God’s plans over our own planning. One thing to keep in mind, this is not an overnight process – this process will continue the rest of your life. Some days you will be incredibly submissive to the Father and other days you’ll stick your fingers in your ears and just shout “la la la, I can’t hear you!” (1 Thes 5:19).

Who do you want to please: yourself, others or God? Today’s verse is all about putting God first and doing everything you can to please Him; to let go of yourself and just obey Him. (Acts 5:29)