Living to Christ

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. – Paul

I have been gripped with the truth that when I said yes to God I wasn’t saying yes to Christianity – I was saying yes to Christ. Christian culture in America is constantly searching for the formula. What is the formula to make my ministry work? What is the formula to make my marriage work? What is the formula for me to stop sinning? Millions of dollars are exchanged yearly in this country for the next formula to make us feel better. We’re spending money to change “emotions” but many times leaving our spirits untouched and unaffected. The truth is we’re not signed up for a method we’re signing up for a Man.

Paul says, “Christ lives in me.” I want to know what it means to live to Christ.

Ask yourself this question: “How much of my faith is cultural and formulaic?” E.g. based on spiritual discipline or acceptable outward action. Be honest with yourself. If we remove every aspect of our faith except Christ living in us and our relationship to Him, what are we left with?

Christianity isn’t simply a list of “do’s and don’ts“. Like a marriage wedding, salvation isn’t a one time event. Every day we must awake to the newness of life and seek to love more deeply and humbly. Christianity is a Man – Christ!

The believer must seek to fuel their life by developing and growing that relationship with the Man Jesus. At the core of a relationship is a “knowing”. A knowing that experiences the emotions and thoughts of another. For instance, a husband seeking to grow in relationship with his wife doesn’t simply find out more facts about her; he tenderly asks her, “What are you feeling? What is on your mind?”

Let us seek this kind of relationship with Christ. Ask Him, ask Him often, “What is on Your heart?”