When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:4
My whole life I have tried hard to be something I am not. I wished it weren’t so, but the amount of energy I have spent in my futile attempts to live at being the best Christian I could possibly be has fallen just short of exhausting. It has robbed me of experiencing the life God has intended and exchanged it for dependence upon false fulfillment and a crisis of identity. My heart rejoices in knowing this treasure of realization has been discovered, but is coupled by sadness as with it has been a lifetime of destruction.
Lord knows I have tried and in my efforts only found the worthless jewel of failure. But why? Kudos to me for getting back upon the horse each time, but why am I so apt to fall off so many times over? Are my efforts in vain? Am I not good enough? Am I just that horrible of a Christian? Even Paul cries out about himself, “What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:24)
But I am reminded of the life I NOW live! A life not of worthlessness, but instead — victory! Not because of anything I can do, but because of everything He has done. It is not me trying to measure up to certain standards or conditions in order to demonstrate the life I ought to live, but instead finding the correct Who in which to use as a reference point to measuring up. See, my reference point is no longer me trying to live a certain way and hiding failure from those I love, instead it is allowing Christ who is MY life live out who He is through me so that I may be a glory-carrier!
I cannot live the Christian life, only one person can do that and that is Christ! So as long as I continue striving to live up to a standard of doing what the Bible says, doing all the right things, treating everyone a certain way, being to everyone what they think I should be, then of course, I’m going to fail. Because I have to learn how to allow Christ, as my life, to radiate through me! I have to learn more about what it means to allow Christ to live His life through me. When I do — my actions no longer reflect a neediness, my attitude no longer drips with pity, my relationships reflect Christ’s love and my life springs with uncontainable glory!
Lord Jesus, I devote myself to allowing your life to live through me! It says in your word (Romans 6) that through sin the parts of my body are offered as instruments of wickedness, but when I offer myself to you, I offer the parts of my body as instruments of righteousness. This, I know, is how I live ‘Christ is my life!’ Today, and everyday, I offer the parts of my body as your instruments. May I pause at the door frame of sin and allow you to live through me!
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:14