DEVOTION – DAY 553

Galatians 2:20 “Living By Faith In Christ”

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Every Christian identifies with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. At their conversion, a Christian admits he is a sinner, confesses and repents and his sinful old self is akin to being crucified on the cross with Christ. They have voluntarily left that old way of life behind. They now share the resurrection life in Christ. Just as Jesus Christ rose again on the third day, Christians now live as born-again Christians, trusting and depending upon the Lord.

Marcus Rivera had a successful career and he enjoyed living the gay lifestyle in Miami. He had a long-term relationship with his partner. He had many followers on Instagram as he posts about his dream lifestyle. His followers consider him a positive success story for the gay Latino community of Florida. Marcus was raised as a Christian but he had never taken his faith seriously. He had never had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Then, one day, while he was out jogging, he felt a gripping pain on his chest and he collapsed on the pavement. People came to his aid and called an ambulance. Paramedics arrived quickly. He was treated immediately for cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the hospital. In intensive care, he had time to re-examine his life. He cried out to the Lord to be merciful to him, and for the first time, he felt an inner peace. He knew in his heart that his gay lifestyle displeased God. He also knew he needed to make changes to his lifestyle choices if he wanted to live longer after his near-death experience. He promised the Lord Jesus he would make changes in his life and he will obey Him as Lord if he recovered. The Lord answered his prayers.

Making changes to his way of life was hard. He soon broke off his relationship with his partner. He closed his Instagram account telling his many followers he no longer champions LGBT views. He went back to church and started serving in church. He also eventually changed jobs because his former job though lucrative was full of temptations to sin, temptations to fall back to old lifestyles and habits. It costs him a lot financially but the Lord gave him the grace and strength to follow and obey Him. Marcus now live by faith in the Son of God, and he had put to death his past sinful self.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You gave us your Son, who loved us and died for our sins, so that we can be reconciled to you. We want to thank you. We ask Lord for your help to live by faith our new in Christ and to be the kind of person you want us to be. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Questions

  1. How have you put to death your old sinful past? Share.
  2. How have you now lived by faith your new life in Christ? Share.
  3. What changes have your family, friends and colleagues see in you since you have become a Christian? Share.
  4. How do you prevent yourself from falling back into your old way of life and habits? Share.