This has been an amazing year.
A friend reminded me today of something we use to teach our children when they were under her teaching at church. It brought freedom to my soul again today.
It is surprising to me how God takes old truths and shows you what it means to apply that truth in new and deeper ways.
It hit me today that Paul not only had to die to his badness but he had to die to his goodness. God had revealed so much to Paul he was prone to pride. So God also showed him his self righteousness and how even his good deeds were but filthy rags to show Paul his depravity.
I tried so long to live the good christian life. Just tell me what to do and it fed my flesh and pride to please you and God. The truth is I can do nothing apart from Christ.
My role is to surrender to the will of God daily. To die to myself or flesh and live to Christ. Even that it is His surrender. He will do the work in my heart and no matter how hard I try it is not the life of Christ living in me. It is my independence. Christ in me is the new creation. My role is to yield to Him and let the life of Jesus be lived by me with my gifts, my body.
Corrie ten Boone said we are like a glove and the hand in the glove is like the Holy Spirit. We work together but it is His power, His will, His life lived through me to do the things I cannot. The glove cannot do anything apart from the hand in it. We have the very spirit of Jesus living in and through us.
When we are living in union with Jesus, we know how to love as only Jesus can. It is not a trying harder to do better. It is a heart given to the Lord for His glory and His purpose. It will attract the unbeliever, the rebellious, the hard heart in a way that you could not do on your own. It is a gift a fruit. It is an amazement to the wondrous glory of Jesus. It is my Lord living life through me. We are living life together. Partnership.
