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"When Christ who is our life appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory."
(Colossians 3:4)
Our son-in-law, Jeffrey, was in a car wreck earlier this month. A lady rear-ended him. Perhaps you have been there; I know I have. It is not a good experience, for sure! But I love the way Jeffrey handled the situation. He got out of the car and spoke to the lady letting her know he was not angry and understood that it was an accident. He also was able to invite her to visit our church! Perhaps you are thinking you could never do that: remain that calm in the midst of a painful situation. But you can.
Last week, I sat for three hours in a dentist chair getting a crown on my cracked tooth. Jennifer, who is a member of our church, asked if she could be the dental hygienist and assist the dentist. It was great being able to talk to her about the Lord. She shared a story with me that happened recently of how a lady had a tooth removed and it was a very painful ordeal. The lady cried, Jennifer cried, and the dentist had to take a break! Jennifer asked the lady if she could pray for her, and the lady said she would love that. They prayed with each other right there at the dental clinic and had wonderful fellowship in the Lord. Maybe you are thinking that you could never do that. The last thing on your mind would be praying in a situation like that. But wouldn't prayer be the best thing to do? The Lord loves His people, and He desires to be active and present in every occurrence of life, blessing us and then making us a blessing to others. How does that happen? It happens because Christ is our life!
In Dr. Charles Stanley's message on "The Key to the Christian Life", he taught on the important doctrine of sanctification. After salvation, we must live in a world of rebellion, sin, evil where the devil is loose and seeking to bring harm. We live among those who do not like what we believe. We cannot change that. Furthermore, we must deal with our own carnal natures. Desires crop up in us, and we are tempted to do things not in the will of God.
How do we deal with these realities? The answer is not to try and get better and better. The answer is Colossians 3:4, "Christ who is our life." When we trusted Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, He came into our life. The Holy Spirit lives within us. We have the power and life of Jesus in us. Galatians 2:20 is a great verse, one that every Christian should memorize: "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." The Greek verb translated "crucified" is in the perfect tense, which points to something that happened in the past, is happening, and will continue to happen. Crucified means we have died to the old life, as seen in baptism. The old sinful, selfish life is gone. Jesus is now our life. Before Christ, we had death, but now we have eternal life in us. Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." To be in Christ sums up Paul's theology. Stanley pointed out that "in Christ" makes me fit for heaven. "Christ in me" makes me fit for this life.
I am praying for you who read this devotion that you would truly experience this awesome life accessible only through Jesus.
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