“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” Galatians 2:20 (KJV).
We all have the option as free moral agents to either live for ourselves or live for Christ. Being a Christian leaves us with no option but to live for Christ and him alone. The old man is crucified with Christ and we are now raised in newness of life. The new life we now have is the Christ-life. It is not our own, for we are bought with a price. Our bodies have become his temple and our life, his life. New birth experience is the end of living for self.
“For the love of Christ contraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” 2 Corinthians 5:14 (KJV). Dead people have no life of their own. We all died and lost the right to live. If one dies in our place, then we should live for him.
“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” 2 Corinthians 5:15 (KJV). We frustrate the grace of God in our lives when we live for self. Living for Christ activates the grace. Surprisingly, many Christians live for self. Their comfort, pleasure and feelings are all that matters to them. If it is convenient, do it, if it will make you feel good then do it. To them, God’s will and his feelings does not count. The flesh and carnal desires is all that matters. They live only to gratify their carnal desires. Such Christians are carnally minded, bodily ruled, having no regard for God and his word.
To live for God is to give priority to his word and his holy spirit in one’s life. It is to be led of the spirit. It is to care for God’s feelings and to acknowledge him in all that one does. Living for God will demand that one presents one’s body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God and to renew one’s mind in order to know what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God. To live for God is to resist the temptation to gratify the flesh and its desires, to honour God with one’s spirit, soul and body. Living for God is to acknowledge and submit to the Lordship of Christ over one’s life. It will demand obedience to the word of God and yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Living for God will demand a relationship, continuous obedience and committed service to him. It will demand commitment to the kingdom business and God’s purpose. Jesus died for us so we can live for him.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, deliver me from living for self and enable me to live only for you.
Rev. Vincent Diolu
