Today, I Die!

Gal 2:20  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.

I - Me, this is personal. I must take this to heart for my life, my relationship to God, my service. This sinner/saint cannot afford to live this day on his own. The world’s allure is too powerful, its dainties too appealing, its lord too deceitful.

AM - Present tense. I have an ongoing need to daily follow Jesus, turning my back on the world, the flesh and the devil. Yesterday’s blessings, like wilderness manna, are useless today. Today’s challenges require that I plug in to my Power Source.

CRUCIFIED - The cross before me is an instrument of cruel death. The fact is that my old man deserves to die and must die daily. I must condemn him to crawl upon the cross every day and consider him dead.

WITH - Jesus, Who promises never to leave me nor forsake me, offers His company along my Via Dolorosa. Like the minister who baptizes the new believer who wades into the water with the convert, though he has already personally partaken of the ordinance, now ministers the act. So Christ, Who has emerged victorious over the cross and the grave comes with me to give me grace and strength to die daily and emerge triumphant over my cross.

CHRIST - It is by Him, for Him and with Him that this daily slaughter of my flesh takes place. He is my Example and my Enabler.

NEVERTHELESS - Ah, sweet victory, blessed juxtaposition. For every death my flesh suffers, my spirit soars to loftier life.

I - No matter the journey of others, my promised land lies on the far bank of this blessed release.

LIVE! My flesh goes protesting to its cross. It dies hard. It agonizes as we, my Creator and His wretched creature, nail it afresh to its morbid crucifixion. As its grip on my soul wanes in its strength, I find life lived by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me!

Today, as yesterday, and hopefully again for all my tomorrows, I will read and devour the flesh-slaying, life-giving Word, trudge to my Golgotha, lay down my life and allow my Lord to pick it up again and live another victorious day, complete, dependent and hidden in Him.