Death to self, life in Christ
“When persons are more jealous for their own fame than for God’s glory, it shows that they live for themselves and serve their own gods. You see a man more vexed or grieved by what is said against him than against God, whom does he serve? Who is his God, himself or Jehovah? There is a minister thrown into a fever because somebody has said a word derogatory to his scholarship, or his dignity, or his infallibility, while he is as cool as ice at all the indignities thrown upon the blessed God. Is that man a follower of Paul, willing to be considered a fool for the cause of Christ? Did that man ever take the first lesson in religion? If he had, he would rejoice to have his name cast out as evil for the cause of religion. No, he is not serving God, he is serving his own gods.” Charles Finney
Very tough questions we all need to ask ourselves. What is our life really about? Are we more upset at our own injustices than Gods? Are we upset more when we are spoken evil of or when people curse the name of Christ? Do we easily sit by and even laugh along as others blaspheme the name of God? What and who is our life really meant to be about?
It is written, “I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me.” Galatians 2:20 The bible very clearly states that our lives are not our own if we are in Christ Jesus! “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 19,20 It is a foundational Christian truth that our lives are not to lived as unto ourselves, but lived for the glory of God.
If we indeed have become one with God through Jesus Christ, than the things that God loves, we should love. The things that God hates, we should hate! We cannot serve a God made in our image. No, we were made in Gods image. He created us for His glory and for His divine purposes. We did not create Him for our purposes and our pleasure. Though many people try to make God what they want Him to be, what they are comfortable with Him being. This however will never do! That is idolatry. I know people will even read through the bible and pick and choose the attributes of God they can understand with their reasoning. They will choose the attributes that can directly improve their life and situation. When it comes down to obedience and being a doer of the word of God, they skip those scriptures. They form a god-lower case g-out of the corruptions of their own heart.
That is not the God of scripture. Either we will have all of the Almighty God or none. We will either love Him and love His word and obey His commands, or we will love the world and only partially obey the scriptures or attributes of God that will help us to accomplish our own selfish desires in life! We as believers though must be careful to understand that our life is truly not our own, but it is Gods. When persecution and evil is spoken of us for Christ’s sake, we must understand we are blessed suffer for His sake. God has bought our life with a price, the very blood of His own Son. We have no right to our own life anymore. This is what it means to have Jesus as Lord of our life. That Jesus Christ is now the ruler, the chief, the master, the one supreme in authority of our lives. If Jesus is going to rule our lives, that means we cannot! We cannot serve the world and serve Christ. We cannot live for the pleasure of self and yet be a follower of Christ. Many desire to come after Christ, but are most unwilling to “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” If we want true life, we will lose our own life so that our life will be found in Christ Jesus.
This is the only way to true joy and peace in life. Christ is joy. Christ is peace. Let us fully surrender, fully give up our rights so that Christ can truly reign in our life as He deserves to do. He gave up and surrender His whole life on the cross. He demands that His followers, His disciples, be like Him, die to ourselves and to run hard after Him!
Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 6:19,20
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 19,20
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