| “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” |
| —Galatians 2:20 |
One of the questions that each Christian must ask himself or herself from time to time is “How dedicated am I to the Lord Jesus Christ?” We measure the commitment to discipleship by self-examination, only. For no other believer can truly judge our personal walk with the Lord. In fact, Scripture forbids us from judging others. (see Matthew 7:1-5)
When we look at our own spiritual formation, we can surely judge where we stand in terms of commitment to our Lord and Savior. He is, after all, our King. Do we bow our knee in fealty to Him and Him alone? Or, have we allowed other far-less-important things to crowd into our lives and take away our close fellowship with Him?
The Apostle Paul offers his own self-examination of his walk with our Lord when he writes these words found in Galatians 2:20:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Here Paul states that he has surrendered everything to Jesus. In fact, in so doing, Paul insists that he has allowed the Holy Spirit to nail all intruding aspects of life to the very cross of Calvary.
As a result, Paul is daily experiencing new life in Christ. Yes, Paul still lives in this world and deals every day with the temptations and trials of a sinful existence. But, Paul has chosen a pathway that will incrementally draw him closer and closer to Jesus.
As we begin a new day, let’s examine our own walks with God. Are there areas where we can let go and, instead, cling more tightly to Jesus? If so, we should do just that in order to experience the ever-increasing devotion that God wants us to have in our lives.
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, August 3, 2017
