February 16 – Resurrection Life (Romans 6:1-14)

“Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”(Romans 6:4)

IN WORD:
If new life is ours in Christ, why does life often seem so old? Why do we struggle with sin & death when we’re united with the One who overcame both? Perhaps the answer lies with in us. Perhaps it’s all a matter of perspective. Perhaps when the Bible says we’ve died and been raised up again, we haven’t really believed it. We’re reminded of our old nature often, and we let it speak louder than the promise of God.
Effective discipleship, the fruitful Christian walk, begins with death and resurrection. This is foundational. If we see ourselves as people in a process of reform, trying to make the bad habits good and sinful tendencies weak, we will fail. But if we see ourselves as dead and then raised, then we have the basis for a new way of life, and, in fact, a new life that really isn’t ours. It’s His, and only He knows how to live it.
It’s critical for us to understand: Jesus doesn’t offer to improve us. He offers to let us die and then to inhabit our personalities with His presence. That’s why discipleship can hurt; there’s a cross. But that cross is the key to the glory that follows.

IN DEED:
Are you living the resurrected life? Many Christians are striving in the flesh to do the works of the Spirit, and they are frustrated and tired. Wouldn’t you rather rest in the Resurrection than try to overhaul the old nature that was — and should continually be — crucified with Jesus? New life is an eternal blessing, but it has no short-term benefit if we refuse to live in it.
How do you get there? Not by straining for it, not by reading about it, and not even by frantically immersing yourself in church life. No, just by asking. Ask often, trust deeply, let yourself be convinced of the promise, think about it often, and most of all, give Jesus free reign in your heart. The power of His resurrection is available when the power of your self is exhausted. Live in His power. Or better yet, let His power live in you!

“The characteristic of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me.”
-Oswald Chambers-