“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith, in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 [NASB]
This last week in our Bible readings, we learned Jesus taught
His disciples and followers in Matthew 6:33 not to worry about what they would eat,
drink, or wear. Trust God. He is in control. If God provides food, drink, and beauty
for his birds and flowers, how much more will He care for His greatest creation-humankind?
God takes care of His people. We can trust Him so don’t be anxious.
After the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 8:20 Jesus told a
scribe who wanted to be His follower that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His
head. In this chapter, Jesus did not revoke what He’d said in 6:33. He expanded
on it. Jesus made a bold statement with implication. He meant even the Son of
Man has nowhere to lay His head; do not expect you will have more than Me. The
cost of being a disciple requires giving your whole life. Did Jesus mean God would
not or could not give Him and His followers a place to lay under shelter? No, He
meant, trust God’s heart even when He doesn’t give you a place to lay your
head. He has a plan and for now it doesn’t include a bed under shelter. Have hope.
Keep God’s peace which He gives through Jesus. Do you have peace and
contentment even when God doesn’t provide what you need right now knowing His
plan is best? This provides peace and contentment; anxiety does not.
With Galatians 2:20, Paul explained to the church in Galatia
how he could continue to be a disciple of Jesus even when he had little or no
food to eat. He said in this verse, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it
is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by faith, in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself
up for me.” [NASB] What does this have to do with trusting God, believing He
will provide all my needs, keeping hope and peace, and being content knowing
His plan is greater than what I can see? Paul said, he does not live in his own
strength or for his own purposes. As a believer in Jesus Christ, he had been
saved from his sins and was being sanctified daily by the Spirit. Because of
this, Paul did not live out his will or life from his old natural self, but with
the new life Christ gave him. He identified with and was crucified with Christ.
Jesus lived in Paul’s body. Paul had given his whole being to God-heart, soul,
mind, and strength. When he did this, he was crucified from his old sinful,
self-willed person and was made into a new man by Christ through His life,
death, resurrection, and ascension. Paul lived by the faith he had in Jesus to
accept when he had enough and when he didn’t, and when he didn’t have anything.
He was at peace because he trusted God to give Him what he needed in His timing
for His purposes. This trust because of our hope and faith in God gives us
peace and contentment. This shows a life in whom Christ lives because of His
love for the person. It shows because of a person’s love for God through a
close relationship with Him and evidence in obeying Him.
When Paul was saved from his sins, by faith (the faith God gives
a person and the faith that person activates/uses to believe in Jesus Christ as
the Son of God), he was saved from his sins, his shame, and the power of death.
This means he was also saved from himself. Jesus in us as the Holy Spirit gives
us the power to withstand temptation and sin. In our old nature, we do not have
that power. By faith, Paul was saved from his sins and Christ came to live in
him. Each day after his conversion, Paul, by his decision, chose to be more
like Christ so he acted, spoke, and thought more like Christ and people saw Jesus
living in him. That is faith in action, a daily giving our whole heart,
soul, mind, and strength to Him in love. It requires trust and faith in God and
His plan for our lives and the world. It requires recognizing we can do nothing
to make this world a better place of our own will and design. God’s plan from
the foundation of the world is to bring all people to a saving knowledge of
Him. Paul’s faith grew. His trust in God grew. Paul trusted God to take care of
all his needs. He had hope for his salvation in the future when Jesus returns.
Paul had hope in Jesus each day to carry him through pitfalls and to give him
what he needed. Even on days when Paul’s physical needs went unmet, Paul still
had faith in God. He trusted in Him and God’s plans because he knew Him and
loved Him with his whole being. This absolute trust came from peace and brought
peace. It brought contentment with it as Paul trusted God.
Consider when Paul was on the ship going toward Rome and the
winter storms tossed the ship and crashed upon the rocks. Remember when a viper
bit him while they started a fire trying to get warm after swimming to shore.
Next remember, Paul did not die from the snake bite, but ended up healing many
people on that small island. We do not read that Paul was upset about not
having food, dry clothes, a bed, or fresh water to drink. He trusted God’s plan
to get him to Rome. Paul knew God had a purpose for their ship crashing on the
rocks at that island. He had faith in God. Paul trusted Him. His hope in God
sustained him because he knew God’s plan was greater than what he himself could
discern. Paul was at peace and was content with where God put him for that
time. He was daily and moment-by-moment being sanctified. This growing in
Christ, the being sanctified, caused Christ to live in Paul’s body so Paul wasn’t
seen, but Jesus was. By this, Jesus received the glory and praise. John said
something similar when asked by his disciples what he would do now that the
Messiah had come. John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John
3:30 [NASB])
When we allow God to have our whole being, when we love Him
with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then our relationship with Him
becomes closer. We begin to become Christlike. When people look at us, watch
us, and hear us, they no longer see who we were before we became Christians,
but instead they see Jesus and are amazed and glorify God. All this takes faith in action and leads us to become Christians, seeking a deeper relationship with
Him, growing in faith, hope, and love, gaining more peace, and having
contentment. None of these is a once-off occurrence. As you daily walk with the
Lord and seek His will, you grow, and your life becomes less about you and more
about Jesus. You will decrease, and He will increase so that people see Jesus
more and more in you.
Do you live by faith in your flesh or faith in the Son of God who loved
you and gave Himself up for you? This is what Paul asked Peter in Galatians
2:20.
What keeps you from giving God everything and letting Him
become your everything?
Is your faith growing? Are you activating it by seeking God,
seeking His truth, and seeking to live in obedience to Him?
Are you living with the hope Jesus gives you and the peace
and contentment that come from knowing God will provide all your needs?
Remember what Paul said to the Romans,
“And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 [NASB])
God has a plan. He has a purpose. You are part of the plan.
He will take care of you.
Trust Him. Have Hope in Him.
Receive Peace from Him. Be Content.
Lord, I am weak. There is nothing in me that
can save me from my sins. I realize I need you to save me from my sins, shame,
and death. Lord, I need you to save me from my plans so that I seek You and
Your best plans. Help me remember when I fear You don’t care that Your plan is
okay, and I can trust You because of Your great love for me. Forgive me for
when I run off and do my own thing. Forgive me for not seeking and obeying You.
Forgive me for not activating my faith in You and then doubting Your love and
care for me. Help me to trust you and to have all my hope in You. Give me Your
perfect peace and contentment. Lord, live in me so that I decrease and You
increase. Let the world see You in me as I walk in this body. You are God and I
am not.
