prayershield

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This is the second verse in the series. Some opening thoughts…

 Hebrews 12:2 says: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We also have a great joy set before us and it is Christ Himself. For us to be “crucified” means that we are to put to death the old self and be willing to endure any trial for the Lord as he endured the ultimate trial for us.

 The only cross that many us ”carry” are tiny pendants on silver or gold chains. Jesus tells us in Luke 14:27  “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

The cross of Christ cost Him His life. Are we willing to carry our own cross and be crucified as He was, dying to ourselves so that He can live within us?

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Day 2 - I just decided that another way to get “more” out of my scripture memory is to rewrite the verse a few times and continue to meditate and contemplate what it means.

What I am drawn to today is this idea of being in Christ. What does that mean? We usually hear that Christ is in us. That is the idea of Galatians 4:19 anyway, Paul writes:

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…

So how am I to think of being counted among those who are “in Christ?” I am thinking something like John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

If I am in Jesus - getting all my sustenance from Him I will bear fruit.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I have started and stopped the Navigator’s Topical Memory System more times than I should probably share. The problem that I have come across in the past was that I had no accountability. That problem has been taken care of as I have a mentor, friend and Elder (all of whom are the same person) to help me stick to it. So without further delay, II Corinthians 5:17…

 I really like the NIV translation of the above verse. I had originally learned this verse in the King James and still get the two mixed up. One of the main reasons (I just found out) why I like the NIV is the exclamation point at the end of the verse.  It adds emphasis to this mind blowing verse.

Being fully aware of where I have been in my life, what a relief to hear that the “old has gone.” The old has not been put away in a closet, it has been removed, my abode swept clean.

Thayer’s definition of the word “new” include the following:

recently made

fresh

recent

unused

unworn

This newness is wrought in each person who puts their faith in Jesus Christ.

 I like the words “unused” and “unworn.” It reminds me of a new pair of boots that need to be broken in. You take a few uncomfortable steps wearing your new boots but they soon become comfortable and faithful companions.

This site is dedicated to prayer and scripture memorization. It has been set up to chronicle my walk with God and what I am learning through His Word.

This site is simply a record of my walk with God and what I am learning through prayer and scripture memory. Please feel free to leave a comment.