…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11, NASB)
What would you do differently if you knew you were going to die soon? I am sure you would spend more time with close friends and family, but I have a feeling there is a bucket list item you would want to do as well. Maybe there is a golf course you have always wanted to play but never had the time or money. It probably wouldn’t feel like a sacrifice to go play it, knowing your time is limited.
Country musician Tim McGraw sings a song called, “Live Like You Were Dying.” Here’s the chorus:
I went sky divin’
I went Rocky Mountain climbin’
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I’ve been denying
And he said someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin’
Though most of us will never experience such a scenario, we are all called by Jesus to live like we are dying. He did not emphasize risky adventures or checking off your bucket list items, but he did teach his followers to have a dying attitude. He taught his disciples to put to death the desires of their hearts in order to gain life. Putting to death our sinful nature is the ongoing process of becoming like Christ, often referred to as sanctification.
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). This part of Jesus’ teaching does not have as much appeal at first glance as some of the other things he said. It sounds like a good thing for others to do, but doesn’t it seem a little extreme? Regardless, when you read the writings of the apostle Paul, it is fundamental to a resurrected life in Christ and to loving others well:
Faith in Jesus allows him to put to death our sin so that we may be raised into a more abundant life.“Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:4-5).
The problem is that dying to self is counterintuitive; nonetheless, it is the way of Jesus. Faith in Jesus allows him to put to death our sin so that we may be raised into a more abundant life.
This is not something we can do of our own volition or boast about accomplishing, as it is sourced in our weakness. It is a mindset that we should ask for so that we may know the power of his resurrection—powerful enough to atone for our sins and bring us into intimate knowledge of him. Paul again: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from [obeying] the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).
May we all embrace the process of dying with Christ our Lord so that we may experience the fullness of life in him and others to receive his love and grace through us.
—
Josh Nelson
February 17, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.