Thursday, November 1, 2012

Be a Catalyst for God's love

Have you read Galatians? If you haven't you should. It's one of the shorter books in the Bible and it is jam-packed with encouragement. 
Rumor has it, my great-grandmother, Galata, was named after this book...and I can see why. It is about letting Christ work within you, being a catalyst for Christ's love and letting nothing stop you. Paul writes it, and is talking to the Galatians who seem to be consumed by all the rules, all the holidays of the church and not with what matters-God's love. Paul speaks about what I preach in this blog. It isn't following the laws of Christianity set by the church that shows you have a strong faith, it is your love for Christ and for others. (Galatians 2:15-16) 

I struggle sometimes, feeling like I haven't done everything I can to be a good Christian. I don't always go to church on a weekly basis, I have been known to curse more than I should, I stray off and think that I don't need God in certain aspects of my life. I don't give Him enough credit for all the wonderful things He has done in my life, nor for the people in it. One thing I always do though-declare my love for God. I aim to never be ashamed in a situation that I am a Christian, that I love MY God. I have faith that He is present in all situations, even if I forget to acknowledge that. Why? Because Christ died for me and I am going to try to always lift His name higher than mine. All that I accomplish cannot be done without Christ and I want people in my life to know that.

A few days ago, when I was at a coffee shop reading my Bible (one of my favorite activities) I fell in love with yet another verse. I posted it on my facebook and have been repeating it to myself lately. For those of you who haven't seen my facebook it is Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I went to to the trusty dictionary.com to get a definition of crucify. I remember my friend Sydney asking me for a secular definition of it earlier this month and forgot to look it up. Today, I found it. To crucify means: to treat with gross injustice; persecute; torment; torture. Christ endured all of that, for me and for you because of God's will. He didn't have to. He could have decided against claiming He was the son of God, but he didn't because He was sent to save us. 

What I like about this verse is that Paul proclaims he has been crucified. Obviously, he hadn't in the way that Christ had, but his sins have. Paul's spirit has been crucified, in order to make room for Christ to take over. What I love is that Christ has me taken care of. I am filled with Christ, so I should try and live a Christ-like life...it's the least I can do for the Son of God who gave His life for my sins. I aim to let Christ shine through my actions. It's an ongoing struggle, but this verse is a good daily reminder that I can always do more to honor my God. 

No comments:

Post a Comment