2 Corinthians 5:14-15 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
In light of all Jesus did on the cross, in the grave, and out of the grave we see a great victory for those who call Him Savior and Lord. This victory is not a victory of yesterday though. It is a victory of today and forever..... FOREVER!! According to the above scripture we are "compelled" to live this life of victory and the sacrifice of the Son of God makes a huge difference in our thoughts,our attitudes, our very existence!! All of that sounds great, but what does it mean for us in our daily life?
It means that everything we do has an impact on, not only us, but on all we come in contact with in our daily life. Most of us live for ourselves and that makes sense in a very humanistic way of thinking. But our thinking is changed out of what the Bible calls the natural man to a spiritual man. Paul wrote about this very subject in 1 Corinthians 2:14 where he says 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Don't get me wrong, this is not a oneupmanship for those who know Christ just for the sake of saying we have something others don't have. It is not for that sake, but there is a "definite" difference in the way those who know Jesus perceive life in comparison to those who don't know Him. With that difference comes a different way of thinking and a different way of living. Satan, our enemy wants to get in the mix on this subject and give us excuses for not pursuing Christ and His truth, but it doesn't lessen the fact that at our core we are seeking Jesus FIRST. So Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33 where He says 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need come more into focus.
Then the pursuit of our life begins to center around Jesus and who He is and what he wants from us. We trade the old life for the new life and everything from there on changes and transforms. Paul spoke to this transformation in Romans 12:1-2 where he says 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
So The Great Trade involves changing us at our center and making our center Jesus and Him alone. No more excuses for not knowing who Jesus is and what He wants from our lives because it has become increasingly clear and all of us want clarity!! I know I do. No reason to be confused or stagnant in our walk with God because now the spiritual man has taken over and the Holy Spirit becomes who Jesus told us He would be and that is our comforter, our guide, our peace, and many more things that complete our life.
So the one, Jesus, who gave His life for us comes more into focus through sanctification as He becomes more and more real and relevant to us in our daily life and that makes our faith more real and relevant because Jesus is large and in charge!! And we love this because the Holy Spirit in our life responds to the Savior and His Word and we no longer make excuses for ignoring God's calling on our life, but we actually begin to seek His righteousness and we receive it. The Great Trade is complete and we are the winners in this Holy deal. Praise God!!
The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren
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