Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I 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.

This is rightly one of the most famous verses in the New Testament, but it was good to read it again just now in full context. There are some who take Paul’s opposition to Peter, expressed earlier in the chapter, as a sign of Paul’s pride, but this makes it absolutely clear that his opposition was in order to defend the essential principle that salvation is by faith alone. It’s true that Paul was still a little defensive about being an apostle who had not walked with Jesus before His crucifixion, as comes out in the very first part of the chapter, but that is simply evidence that, like all of us, Paul was a work in progress, as he himself stated so firmly in Philippians 3:12-14. The point we need to remember that our life itself doesn’t belong to us; we have been bought and paid for by the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The better we realize that spiritually speaking we are already dead, the better we will be protected against the tricks and lies of the devil. That’s what Paul expounded on in Romans 6. We aren’t talking zombies here, but rather glorious reality. I have read many testimonies of “near-death experiences,” and something expressed in a lot of them is, “I felt more alive than I have ever been.” The more we grasp that in Christ we are already dead, the more we can walk in His life that is far more, and far better, than anything we can experience in the flesh.

At 75, my anticipation of being through with my current body is growing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the life of Christ right now. Actually, I do enjoy it a great deal, as various people have commented about me, but I need to remember that it is no better than a shadow of what awaits me. As Frank Viola and others have pointed out, I am not to run from the cross but to it and embrace it, just as the youngest of the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki did. And as Luke made clear, Jesus said I have to do that daily. (Luke 9:23) Crosses aren’t fun, but I have a lot of stubborn areas in my life that are still kicking, and an extra nail or two is very necessary! At the same time, I need to remember that from God’s perspective this verse is already accomplished fact, and so rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He has told me to do.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I seem to be dealing with the busyness of the season somewhat better than in some years. (I pray that statement isn’t premature!) Thank You for reminding me just now that I need to get the Advent candles today, since we’ll be lighting the first one on Sunday. Help me deal with each thing in turn, not panicking over all that is coming but letting You carry me through, so that my delight in You may be an example to draw others to delight in You as well, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!