Christ Lives in Me

            In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul expresses the philosophy of his life.  He says: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  That verse also should be the passionate desire of every believer.  When Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him.  Our old man with its sinful passions and corrupt priorities died.  We are crucified with Christ.  Yet we still live.  But now we don’t live by our own agenda, and we don’t operate by our own strength, because Christ lives in us.

Christ lives in me.  What a transforming truth that is to contemplate.  Our Christian life is not about doing the best we can and keeping all the rules.  It is all about letting Jesus live through us.  If I were to sit down at a piano and depend upon my skills to play a song the sound would be horrible.  However, if a master pianist would be able to come inside me and his skillful hands would be upon my hands and his fingers would press upon my fingers, the music would be fantastic. This is how a Christian should live.  Jesus is in him, moving him as to what to do, what to say, and how to behave. Christ lives in us and molds our behavior in the home, in the school, on the job, and in the community. 

A scuba diver cannot operate underwater without his oxygen tank.  He lives by the life-giving oxygen that is pumped from his tank.  Christians live and breathe and serve by Christ who lives in them.  The life we are called to live here in the flesh is lived by our faith in Christ.  I know that I am prone to wander.  I tend to slip back into the old ways of the flesh.  I also know that on my own strength that I cannot live the Christian life.  Like Paul, I am so thankful that Christ lives in me.