Can you count the times that you have made a purchase, brought it home and realized that it wasn’t what you wanted after all. Maybe when you were in the process of deciding between two different items you talked yourself into the one you thought would be best only to discover that the other item was actually what you needed. So what do you do? You go back to the store and exchange the one item for the other.
Many times in our lives as believers we are discontent and disappointed with life. We thought that by praying that prayer for Christ to come into our lives it would make all the difference in the world. And while there was a brief period of joy because things felt so different and new, after a while something else began to happen. We wake one morning and we are faced with anxiety, frustration and short fuses. We battle with anger, un-forgiveness, resentment, pride, selfishness and the list goes on and on. Sometimes we find that this has become a pattern in our lives that eventually brings us to the place of desponding over our Christian experience. We may even ask ourselves, “Is this really the life I was meant to live when I gave my heart to Jesus?”
The apostle Paul gave us as followers of Christ the key that unlocks the authentic Christian life. He described something that we are all familiar with but rarely formulate into our daily walk. This dynamic and devoted bond servant of God was also a very real man who battled with a fleshly nature. But his life also demonstrates a kind of Christianity that believers have longed for down through the ages. Paul claimed in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”… Here we see Paul taking his life, crucifying it with Christ in exchange for Christ’s life living in him. What an exchange that was! But let’s recognize that it was a choice, daily and deliberate. He was saying in no uncertain terms, Lord Jesus, be Yourself in me. Release Your life in mine.” And by the power of the Holy Spirit what joy there is when we make that exchange. The struggles? They’re not over but shorter in duration. This is the Christian life we were meant to experience. The joy of this exchange is hard to describe but it will never go undetected.
This joyful exchange is what the world is dying to see. “Christ in you, the hope of glory”!
Read Zechariah 4:6 Will you make it your prayer to ask Jesus to release His life in you and to exchange your life for His? Record the joy that you discover as He lives in you.
Another great word, Laurie. Thank you. I pray I can make this daily & deliberate choice in my struggles (which seem to be all-too consistent lately) AND recognize & remember to RECORD THE JOY I discover! Love that suggestion!!! (& Zech. 4:6) ox
God is AMAZING! I have to tell you how he used this post to move me into action! I had a long week and was running around trying to be superwoman last sat and mid morning I had quickly checked my email and skimmed this post. When I had the chance I looked up Zech 4:6. I thought it over and went on with my day. I had settled in for a quick catnap before the Harvest prayer rally only to realize how exhausted I really was. I decided to flake and sleep instead. Well God woke me up He reminded me of what I had read earlier; that “I no longer live but Christ in me” and that it is “not by [my] might nor by [my] power but by Him” there was work that needed to be done for the kingdom of heaven. I got up and went and was so refreshed and blessed I had a spring in my step. Wait! there’s more! I was soo spiritually refreshed as I drove home I silently prayed to God about my neighbor and if I was to invite him to the crusade let him be outside. As I drove up there he was standing right by his car, so I jumped out of my car and told him that I had to give him something and I handed him an invite and said that he had to go. He smiled and said “you know what’s funny, my co-worker gave me one of these this morning and asked me to go.” I laughed and told him that God was confirming something to him and he agreed and said that he would go!!! Praise God!!!