The bible verse that is nearest, closest to my heart and the one that my memory can grasp, no matter what's going on or where I am is this: Galatians 2 verse 20
I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
The reason it's etched into my brain and my soul is because it's the verse that sums up who I am, what I’m doing and why I am doing it.
I’m declogging the toilet with a coat hanger? Christ is living in me and loves me.
Toddler throwing an almighty tantrum: I am living by faith in the Son who loves me and my son and gave himself for me.
I have to deal with the utilities company about an inaccurate bill: I am crucified and I am living with Christ.
It sounds a bit trite and I don’t mean it to be, but when I am in the thick of life and its stressful, or boring, or tiring or hard or a combination of those things, I can become disgruntled, discontent at my lot and start to mentally( often actually) scroll through the instagram feed of my mind where ‘others’ are living better, doing better, succeeding better and just better than me by every measurable and and unquantifiable way. Please tell me that I am not the only one.
At those moment, I feel stuck and claggy. I feel stale and short changed.
The Spirit then prompts me to look up, look forward, look out and look in. And on occasion, I listen to Him.
Who am I? I am loved by the Son, I live this life in Christ, with Him in me, I live an adventure of faith and love. I am crucified to the old way, the fleshly, grumbling, stagnant way and I live in streams of living water. I live a ransomed life of faith. I live in green pastures and by still waters despite living in the valley of the shadow of death and eating in the presence of my enemies.
How is that possible? Because the Shepherd sought His sheep and became the Lamb. Because the supper He ate was in the presence of His enemies and He was the anointed (messiah) one. He restores me because He was forsaken. Jesus was the only one who deserved to dwell in the house of the Lord forever and He was the only one deserved to have goodness all His days and He gave it up, for us. For me. For you.
Now He reigns in glory and power and lives, by His Spirit in you and in me. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and has made us His own. His spirit is a deposit and a helper. And I need help. A lot.
Your life isn’t cheap. It was bought at great cost and it is a great treasure. It is Christ living in you and walking in faith.
Occasionally we get to see the curtain of eternity pulled back and we see the true drama unfolding.
We get brief snap shots and our perspective is momentarily shifted to see things on the cosmic scale that they really are.
But most of the time, we are unclogging toilets and filing paperwork and completing spreadsheets and cooking meals and we fail to see the vast importance of these things. Christ is present all the time and working all things together for His glory. We take Him with us everywhere we go and He does these things with us. He asks us to trust Him (His words, His deeds, His authority, His throne), to believe Him and to do life in our bodies, trusting Him. Jesus doesn’t want disembodied phantoms, He has bought us, body, mind and soul. He wants all of it.
I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The Life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son on God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2v20