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."
Galatians
2:20
Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, not only died to save us from the punishment of our sins, but to live in us
in order to reveal the image of God to the world. The apex of Christianity is
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" {Colossians 1:27 and
also Romans 8:29 and 2 Corinthians 3:18}.
God does not intend you to
live according to the dictates of your fleshly nature, but to yield to His life
that dwells in you {Galatians 2:20}. The understanding of this truth changes the
way we live. It changes the atmosphere of our home.
As a young mother, I
started off living according to my feelings. Sometimes I was up. Sometimes I was
down. What an inferior way to live! Then I discovered the truth of Philemon v.6,
"That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the
acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus."
What does this really mean?
When you invite Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord and to come and dwell in
you by His Holy Spirit, He comes in {Revelation 3:20}! He doesn't come in as
half of who He is, but all of who He is! That's amazing!
When Christ comes into your
life, you have "EVERY GOOD THING" in you that is in Jesus.
He doesn't give His patience to some people, but leave it out of you! He doesn't
give His joy to some people, but leave it out of you. He is who He is and can be
nothing less, and He lives in you!
This truth is astounding.
It is life-changing. However, you will not experience it until you acknowledge
it. Perhaps you have had a sleepless night with the baby or young children. You
feel tired and lousy. If you make this your confession, you'll feel even worse.
Instead, acknowledge that God is the strength of your life. "Thank you, Lord,
that you live in me. I thank you for your divine strength which is strengthening
me today." You'll be amazed how God will enable you to get through the day when
you didn't think you could make it. {Of course, you'll try to take a little nap
in the afternoon, if you can!}
There are times when the
children get out of hand, you get angry with them, and start shouting. What are
you doing? Giving into your frustration and fleshly anger. You don't have to do
that--YOU ARE THE MOST PATIENT MOTHER LIVING IN YOUR CITY! I beg pardon, you
reply! Yes, Christ lives in you, and there is no one filled with more with
patience and longsuffering than Him. Acknowledge His longsuffering in you.
"Thank you, for your patience, Lord. Thank you that I'm filled with patience
because you live in me."
What will happen? You can
now deal with the situation in a calm spirit. You can only do either of two
things--scream and yell at your children, or acknowledge His longsuffering that
is in you! One or the other! Which do you choose?
What about when you feel
down in the dumps and full of self-pity? It doesn't take hard work to feel like
that, does it? But that is the flesh. Is Christ full of self-pity? Is He
disgruntled, complaining and morose? No. Joy is His character. Hebrews 1:9 tells
us that He is filled with joy more than anyone else. And He lives in you. Start
thanking Him for His joy that fills your life. Don't listen to those feelings.
Keep confessing the joy and your feelings will soon catch up with your
confession.
You must acknowledge
Christ's life in you for it to become effectual. The word "effectual" is
energes meaning, "active, operative, powerful." It is the
same word "powerful," that is used to describe God's Word
in Hebrews 4:12.
We don't have these
wonderful attributes in our own flesh. We only have them because of the life of
Christ that dwells in us. I think the saddest indictment to Christianity today
is that we do not embrace the fullness of Christ's death upon the cross for us.
He died to not only save us from our sin, but from our day to day fleshly nature
by dwelling IN US! He wants us to exchange our fleshly life for His righteous,
joyful, and restful life.
Which way are you living in
your home today?
This is a devotional written by Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies. You can order a subscription to her magazine for free. It is wonderful!
Hearts 4 Home, Spiritual Sundays
Hearts 4 Home, Spiritual Sundays
