“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Being crucified with Christ is such a hard concept to grasp. Yet, learning to die to ourselves is the key to life in Christ, a life full of peace.
Let me share a story with you about dying to our dreams. God visited Abraham and said to him, “Abraham, you will have a son. Through this son, your seed will be like the stars in the sky” (Genesis 15:5). God promised Abraham that through his son there would be many, many children.
Isaac is born, and God’s promise is fulfilled. Can you imagine the hopes, the expectations, the dreams that Abraham had for his son Isaac? “This is my promised seed from God,” Abraham must have thought proudly. “Through him, thousands upon thousands of people will fill the earth.” A proud father. A confident patriarch.
Then, God commanded something that might seem totally contrary to his character: “Abraham, take your son, your only son, and offer him as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2).
“What? Kill my one and only son? Kill this promise you have fulfilled? Kill my hopes, my expectations, my dreams?” The thoughts must have flooded Abraham’s mind.
Yet, Abraham put aside his human reasoning and obeyed God’s command. After he had laid Isaac on the altar and had raised a knife to kill him, an angel of the Lord stopped him. In the thicket, Abraham saw a ram that God had provided for him to sacrifice instead.
God wants us to die to our own desires, our own dreams. By dying to these desires, we are telling God that we fully trust him–that he knows what’s best for us. God honored Abraham’s obedience. God will honor your obedience. When we give up control of our own lives and are willing to die to ourselves, God will provide what we need. He can be trusted.
Prayer: Father, if there is any area of my life, which I have not released to you, please show me. Reveal any part of my fleshly self that is still alive and needs to die. Help me to surrender my selfish desires to you, nailing them to the Cross. I will trust that you know what is best for me.
