What area of your life is Christ trying to reach this Christmas?
C. S. Lewis once shared a story from his childhood. “When I was a child, I often had a toothache, and I knew that if I went to my mother, she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother; at least not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this: I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin, but I knew she would also do something else. I knew she would take me to the dentist the next morning.
I could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief from my pain, but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists; I knew they would start fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. Our Lord is like the dentists. Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some particular sin. Well, He will cure it all right, but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if you once call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.”
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20
This verse describes Christ replicating Himself in Paul. Would you consider yourself to be a disciple of Christ? Not all Christians are disciples. Disciples make disciples. They don’t just reach others, they replicate themselves. We are called to be conduits of truth and not just collectors of information. A conduit is a channel through which something is conveyed. Water flows and the wind blows. They have the most power when they are moving. Discipleship involves allowing Christ to be in control of your life. What area of your life is Christ trying to reach today?
Paul looked at the world as if it were on a cross—and the world looked at Paul as though he were on a cross. The world was crucified to Paul and Paul was crucified to the world. Because of the cross, the world system had lost its appeal to Paul, and he had lost his appeal to the world.
Paul describes himself as being crucified. He said, “I die to myself daily.” But this requires humbling yourself. Some of us are better at that than others. I love that picture of a kitten looking into a mirror and seeing a lion. I actually have it framed in my study at work. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.The truth is we can’t trust everything we think about ourselves.
“Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14
The crucifixion was necessary because there was no other way for man to be saved. It’s the power of the cross that purifies man from his sin and makes him presentable to God. The cross allows no place for human pride, status, or achievement. You can’t lose your salvation, because it’s not yours to lose. Christ is the one who does the saving and He’s got you.
“In this is love,” John explained, “not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
What area of your life is Christ trying to reach this Christmas?