My Favorite Verse

April 20, 2010

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Galations 2:20

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and it is part of the passage that we will be studying for the next two weeks.  I have often wondered why this is one of my favorite verses.  I have loved it since I was 16.  It is not soft, or particularly beautiful, and it speaks of pain and loss.  The first part indicates a total loss of rights, and also death to self.  The second part is more encouraging – but still hard.  It dictates living by faith in our Lord, in His Son, and the price that He paid for our wickedness.  This is a tough verse!

So why do I love it?  First, it does not pull any punches.  This verse tells it like it is, and sums up so much of what our walk is supposed to be about.  This is no “lukewarm” Christianity; this is what we strive for, this is the battle, this crucifixion is what God truly wants for us.  How much do I have to die to self?  Daily.  Minute by minute.  All the time, because Christ Himself lives in me.  What a great honor!  I want to do this, but it is oh so hard.  Can I do it by myself?  This really is a stupid question.  No.  not even close.  And that is where the second part of the verse starts.  “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God…”  It is only by faith that we can die to self.  It is only by faith and trust that we can allow ourselves to be crucified with Christ.  And why do we have this faith in the Son of God?  Because He has given everything for us.  He loves us more than we will ever know.  “…who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  He gave Himself, willingly, so that we could be saved from our sins, yes, but also so that we could have a relationship with Him and His Father.  So that we can walk with Him, talk with Him, and receive His care and love and words anytime we choose to listen.  I am overjoyed that He loves me enough (and more) to give me the gift of Himself.  It is the only gift worth receiving.  I pray that the Lord will help me die to myself so that I will experience, more and more, Christ living in me.

The focus song for this Sunday that God gave to me is Blessed Be Your Name.  It speaks of being crucified with Christ, but living by faith and choosing to praise God in the midst of pain and heartbreak.  That kind of faith can only come from Christ.  We cannot manufacture it!  Here are some of the lyrics:

Blessed be Your name when the sun’s shining down on me, when the world’s all as it should be, blessed be Your name.  Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering, when there’s pain in the offering, blessed be Your name.

Every blessing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise.  When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say…

Blessed be the name of the Lord!  Blessed be Your name.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!  Blessed be Your glorious name!

You give and take away – but my heart will choose to say – blessed be Your name!

We will be singing Blessed Be Your Name this Sunday.  My prayer will be that I mean these lyrics when I sing them, and that the reason that I bless the Lord’s name is because of the Faith in His son Jesus, “…who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Amen.

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Our Nature

April 1, 2010

I’ve always thought that my daughter is a pretty good mix of both her parents. I see both of us in her in different situations. Sometimes that is immensely satisfying, sometimes infuriating, sometimes heartbreaking. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great kid, but I can tell that she’s going to struggle with many of the problems we had to deal with. So in a lot of ways, I see in her the nature we used to have. She is walking the road we’ve been down.

This week I’ve been impressed with the nature of God, and specifically his generosity. There are many examples, in my job, at home, with my family, His nature is to give and so I receive. And the most obvious example is in His Son. Of all the things that have ever been, Jesus was and is the most important. And I believe the most precious to God. Because of all the beings that have ever been, only Jesus shares God’s nature. He is the one and only begotten. I cannot imagine what Jesus means to the Father. Words fail me.

And yet His nature is to give. And so when the need of man presented itself, God’s answer to our problem was to give us that which was most precious in Heaven and Earth. And by giving His Son, He has also given us His nature. We can become His children most when we give.

I’m learning this, painfully slowly it seems, and yet I can tell that this nature is embedded in me, because I want to give it to my daughter. I want others to understand what it is that I’ve been given. And so as Easter comes, we are once again reminded of our most precious gift. And I want to remember that gift not by dressing up and going to church on Sunday. I want to give. I want to grasp the nature of my Father and in so doing, make it my own. I want to give that which is most precious to me – my life.

Of course, I’m anything but the spotless lamb that Jesus is. And yet I want to give my life, blemishes and all, as a reminder of what I’ve been given. As a testimony of the nature that was given to me when Jesus bore the penalty for my sin.

And so I invite you to do the same. Our nature as Christians is to become like our Father. So let us all give of the bounty we’ve received. Have you received something this week that you didn’t deserve? Does someone owe you something? Has someone let you down? Give. Give without reservation. Give with a humble spirit.

Father, impart on your children the birthright of Your nature.

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