Learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ.
“To live is Christ” means God has poured his unconditional and eternal love into our hearts by pouring Christ’s sacrificial life into our hearts. When we know and trust that we are loved infinitely we are transformed into the lovers that God seeks. Not just obeyers, but wholehearted lovers. Lovers that find the meaning of our lives in loving God with everything that we are and everything that are becoming.
Do you want to have more faith? Then look at Christ more and your faith less. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and his cross. His holiness colliding with your sin. Keep looking. Never stop. Move your gaze from your own faith to the grace displayed on that pole. Now your living by faith. Now “to live is Christ.”
“To live is Christ” means no more fear of losing control and no more fear of being forsaken. And no more going back to Egypt. Jesus is God’s “perfect love that casts out all fear.” Look forward to him. Run to his open arms. Fix your eyes ahead on Christ, not backwards on Egypt.
“To live is Christ” is the realization of the priestly blessing of God. God’s face shining upon us is the face of Christ shining in our hearts (2 Cor. 4:6). God’s countenance turned toward us bringing the fear melting power of his peace. Not a peace that’s found in the temporal blessings of this earth, but the peace that passes all our human understanding and grows through all eternity. The eternally satisfying blessing of God’s presence now placed in us in the indwelling life of Christ.
“To live is Christ” has made the impossible unconditional love of neighbor possible. When we remember each day that Jesus loves us, his neighbor, as much as he loves himself, it is then that we can find the freedom to move past our unworthiness and the default of earning love, and move into the freedom of a love given to us simply because we are God’s neighbor.
“To live is Christ” means we never have to carry the weight of our own sins again. There is no more need for a scapegoat. Jesus has carried away our sins once for all time. And now there is no need for “scapegoating.” No need to shift our blame onto others, for Christ has shifted his righteousness onto us.
To Live is Christ 