Under His control, yet free
For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:19-20 Accepting Christ as Lord and Savior means that His life now becomes our life. As He promised, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). From the text, Paul emphasized the fact that we are now to live the life God provided for us. There are certain things that are beyond our understanding and we could not have known how to face them if we do not have a relationship with Christ. For in Christ, though we are weak yet in our weakness He could demonstrate His strength working within (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When we are facing trials in life that we cannot comprehend, He provides wisdom when we ask (see James 1:5). When faced with impossible situations, at times He provides us a miracle that He alone could do (see Luke 18:27). When we are struggling to love people who are difficult to relate with, He uses us so we could be the conduit of His unconditional love (see 1 John 4:7). When we find it difficult to pray, the Holy Spirit within intercedes for us (see Romans 8:16). God does this for us because He wants us to be victorious in our Christian life. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). This is liberating for His life within controls the life we have so we could live for His glory. Instead of worrying of pleasing Him by using my abilities and strengths and trying my best to live meeting the requirements of the law, as Paul stated from the text, now “I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” All I have to do is let Him control my life and abide in Christ and let Him do what He alone could do through me.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com