Sunday Devotional, 2/17/13, as we begin the season of Lent (repost from 2/20/2011)
We must surrender, suffer and die in order to live. Does that sound like something you are willing to do? Christ was willing and did those things, for our sake, and he didn't even deserve it! What does this mean for us?
SURRENDER: We admit that we are sinful by nature, and cannot on our own power please God. We know that only God himself can rescue us from the consequences of our sin. We surrender our will to God - knowing that our limited humanness cannot possibly know what is best for us, and that God's love for us and his wisdom for our life path will produce a far better outcome in our lives than we ever could produce on our own. Christ set a great example for us of surrendering to God the Father's will in his prayer on the Mount of Olives (though his had nothing to do with sinfulness, just surrendering to God's will):
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
SUFFER: We become willing to admit that we are sinful and willing to examine ourselves for how that plays out in our lives. Sometimes we don't want to look at the ways in which we sin against God. It may be difficult or even painful to admit all the ways that we go against his will. It may be even harder to think of changing our ways, of giving up things we think we can't possibly change, don't need to change, or can't live without, even when they interfere with our relationship with God. Sometimes we need to ask God to change our hearts, to help us see all of our faults, to give us the willingness to admit them and look at them honestly, even if it causes us suffering. We confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness, not because we deserve it, but because Christ died in our place to pay for our sins. We can see that we need to work on changing these things, but we cannot do that on our own. However, we can ask God to change us, because he is the only one who can transform our lives.
"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." Philipians 3:7-11 (NIV)
DIE: Our sinful flesh must die so that our righteous blood-bought soul might live. We begin the hard work of God changing our ways, which we do out of thankfulness for his grace and forgiveness. This is a constant and ongoing process, and will not be complete until we die and go to heaven to be with our Lord and Savior. We remember always that we "win the prize" not because of what we do or how well our ways change. We win eternal life because of what Jesus Christ did by dying on the cross as payment for our sins, then rising again in glory. That occurred first, and our attempt to live a righteous life is our thankful response to that wonderful gift of eternal life. We do these things also as a witness to others of God's love. We may even suffer for being a follower of Christ or trying to share that with others. But we suffer through the difficulties of this world with God at our side as our protector and redeemer. Through it all, we die to sin and He gives us life in Christ.
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that
we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." Romans 6: 1-14 (NIV)
So in "surrendering" we recognize our sinfulness and turn our lives over to God's loving and powerful will to change us. In "suffering" we repent of our sinfulness that we have acknowledged and ask God to change us. In "dying" to our sinfulness we give up our hold on our corrupt lives and rejoice in God's mercy and grace in giving us eternal life through Christ. Perhaps then we can re-title this devotion, RECOGNIZE, REPENT AND REJOICE!
May God bless you with the vision to see the truth, the willingness to turn your life over to him and change, and the wisdom to follow through with his will for your life!
written by Jan Andersen
Stone… being rolled away from the tomb,
