"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." ~ Deuteronomy14:2

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: February 4

"... and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" ~ Galatians 2:20
It is no wonder to me that so much has been written on this verse. It is no wonder to me that after having tried it once in my [Eugenia Price, the author's] book Early Will I Seek Thee, I drew back at trying again. And yet God longs to have us all make use of it. It is not a goal too high for any one of us to reach. It is not a goal at all. It is a simple statement of fact. It is the proof of the victorious life. Not merely a challenge to live it! And yet as mere mortals we need to know how. If I accept the earth-shaking fact that I have already been crucified with Christ, that my old self need not trouble me again, that Christ Himself has come to live within me, I have come a long way in grasping this verse, but there must be more. At least that is not enough for me. To a certain extent I can lay hold of this grand pattern of God after He has revealed it to my spirit, but I am powerless to act upon it. And here, in the closing lines of this verse, Paul shares with us the fact that he had to have more too. Paul knew what it was to be totally without Christ. So quickly and lovingly he includes the "diamond-white" secret for us: "... and the (this) life which I now live in the flesh I (must) live (not by my own faith, that is impossible!) by the faith of the (same) Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Christ gave Himself to the Cross to free us of our sins. But it seems to me that here God is reminding us that He gave Himself for our daily living too. Christ is giving Himself to us right now. And of course, right along with Him comes His faith. He has laid down His entire life for our use. Try to take it in. Oh, try to take it in.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

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