Are You Crucified With Christ or a Punk for the World?

“Man Up Anthem” ft. Lecrae, KB, Trip Lee, Tedashii, PRo, Andy Mineo, and Sho Baraka

Are You Crucified With Christ or a Punk for the World?

20 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. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Gal 2:20-21 (KJV)

When I was a child growing up in South Carolina, we sang a Sunday School song that used the words in Galatians 2:20. It was a catchy tune that I can hear even now. Yet in reading these words, I marvel at at how accessible and plain spoken the message is, yet how rarely do we reflect on what they mean. How many Christians go through the day with the image of the crucified Christ in their heads? Or even in their hearts? How many of us see ourselves hanging on a tree even as our Savior (Whom we claim to love) was? If we do not or cannot imagine the crucified Jesus, or never see ourselves to be crucified with Him, how will we ever get a glimpse of the glory that was His by virtue of His sacrifice, or the glory that is offered to be shared with us, when we in faith choose to be like Him.

Is this being crucified with Christ dependent upon our ability to understand or appreciate it? I think not. If that were the case, we would all perish. I think rather, that it is the ultimate consequence of saving grace bestowed upon those who accept salvation in Christ Jesus. Our willingness to embrace the knowledge that what we were has been nailed to the cross and our sin debt as been paid in full is a knowledge that fills the heart and mind with gratitude and awe. Such knowledge is humbling. It gives us the chance to juxtapose our own blackened former sin state with the pure, merciful and glorious gift of salvation so freely bestowed. The grace of God is lavish in abundance, mercy and power. Would that we allow the power of God to energize us today, that we may know that which is “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3:20) Let us carry the glorious gift of being crucified with Christ in our hearts today.

The question we have to ask ourselves today is: “Am I ready to commit to an authentic live in Christ. Do I and can I see myself as being crucified with HIm?” If not we need to “man up” and grow up. Failure to embrace the reality of Jesus and accept the demands of the true Christian faith is to be doomed to live a life as a punk for the world and its evil.

Reflection: Knowing that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) and that that truth is that I am crucified with Christ, and knowing that my tendency is to not embrace being crucified with Christ, what then is my prayer?

My prayer is this: Gracious and loving Heavenly Father, I praise Your holy name that you have loved us and given Your Son Jesus Who died for us that we may know eternal life. Father, forgive me for being afraid of the cross. Forgive me for running away from the sufferings my Savior endured that I might have eternal life. Give me strength, O Lord to let go of who I was. Help me to be satisfied that my past is crucified with Christ. Grand me, Father, strength and wisdom to live righteously in Him. This I ask in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen and Amen!

 © 2012 Verneda Lights. All Rights Reserved.

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Video “Man Up Anthem” ft. Lecrae, KB, Trip Lee, Tedashii, PRo, Andy Mineo, and Sho Barakawas uploaded on Youtube.com by reachrecords on Nov 10, 2011. Verneda Lights and E-graphX Omnimedia have no ownership of this video. It is used for instructional purposes only. The “Man Up Anthem” is available on iTunes: http://bit.ly/puAaLI

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