— Devotionals —

Dying to Self, Living in Christ

Revival.

What are you willing to give up for the one thing that is worth everything?

Christ gave it all… life, prosperity, livelihood, and ease. He traveled with the uneducated, relied on the hospitality of strangers, fasted in the desert, fought off temptations, and then died on a tree with criminals.

Jesus gave it all, yet we complain about giving up the front seat, an extra dollar in the offering basket, or sleep to cuddle with a child. We are so lame. Truly, we prioritize backwards and ask questions never. We just want ease while trying to remain thankful for eternity. It’s hard to put it all together and to keep it in a nice package.

We tend to lack hope, so we settle for ease.

If something is somewhat easy, then we don’t need to worry about hoping for a good outcome, hoping for a cure, hoping for money or hoping for love. If we just grab on to the little, then we can glide though life without much thought of the pain that lurks around the corner.

But what happens when that pain comes, or when we find ourselves broken by the lack of the things we seemed to have glided through? Do we forget the good and then hang on to the bad because something is better than nothing?

God gave it all and so can we. We can surrender instead of floating on the wings of false fulfillment or hanging on to the edge of the crumbling infrastructure of the dream we thought we had.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Philippians 3:7

Giving it all up to God will give us more than we could ever possibly imagine. People who have surrendered years ago are still met with something new each and every day. Something refreshing, something life-giving meets them in the morning. Life in Christ gives us revival of heart and mind. Ease and sorrow are erased, and hope comes in. Joy follows.

Living in Christ allows for us to gain everything when we die to ourselves. Why would we even consider to keep skating by in hopes that we are just under the radar of bad times and above the line in the good? Break those chains off and grab on to the freedom of the cross.

Living in Christ allows for us to gain everything when we die to ourselves. Click To Tweet

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21

2 thoughts on “Dying to Self, Living in Christ”

  1. Loved your post! It is true we tend to settle for ease over striving to be better in our relationship with Christ. We forget it was not an easy road for Jesus and we will never know the pain of the cross or the separation from the Father. Along with dying to self we must have a grateful heart.

  2. I love this statement “We tend to lack hope, so we settle for ease.” The Christian life was not meant to be easy but there is so much Hope when we walk with God every day.

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