Living for the Risen Lord |
"He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again." (2 Corinthians 5:15) The heart of the Gospel is a God that chose to die out of love for the people He created so that He could redeem them back to Himself. The sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ brought to us this miraculous and wonderful gift to partake in the life of God! The testimony of the presence of this new life in us is the strength to live by the power of Christ's resurrection. It is when this new life prevails in all aspects of our earthly existence that it becomes convincing and contaminating to others and not a mere religious ideal that allows us to walk unhindered in our own ways, serving our self and following the demands and desires of our natural life. The Lord died for us. We need to let the cross do its deadly work in us. This instrument of death is at the same time the channel by which we receive God’s divine and glorious nature. The cross pierces through the very heart of natural life, pronounces all its works and efforts as futile and condemns the generally accepted norms of morality and self righteousness. It cannot build on patched foundations but recreates life anew. As the old life is sentenced to death and nailed to the cross, we are born from the Spirit and receive the divine nature of God Himself. Yes, we need to be buried in the death of our Lord Jesus in order to be risen to a new life that does not pertain to the natural at all, but is an infusion of a new, divine nature in us through the Holy Sprit of God. For the Lord Jesus Christ did not remain in the grave. Rather, He rose from death, snatching us from judgement, destruction and darkness and transmuting us into a new life of love and righteousness. Considering such a tremendous work of love and grace, how could we continue to live for ourselves? It is God’s desire to bring us into communion to Himself and that we continue to abide and grow in it. When we live with an ever-increasing longing for Him and for the reality of His presence, we experience the powerful and meaningful manifestation of His risen life in us. We draw close to God with faith and a willing heart to be conformed to His will, and enter into the Holy of Holies, where we can contemplate in awe and amazement His splendor and beauty, relish in His goodness and love, and then each day, each hour and each moment continue to live in His presence, with hearts and minds captivated by His love. May our lives consistently radiate His love and righteousness into a dark and fallen world! |