Focus: A Wonderful Life (Pt.3)

Text: Gal.2:20

"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."

On this message of A Wonderful Life, we focus today on: Self-surrendered life. A wonderful life is not possible with self at the center of it. In other words, a wonderful life is not self-centered, but Christ-centered. 

Paul says, "I am crucified with Christ." Death has occurred to the old self. The cross is the end of our old selves, and by the resurrection our new selves have emerged from the ashes, having Christ at the center of it. I repeat, our new resurrected selves have Christ at their very center.

The new self is devoted to doing the will of God. It is no longer propelled by self-will.

No clash exists between what we want and what God wants. Like Christ, the new creation submits totally to the will of God. It says, "Not my will, but let your will be done."

The glory of God and the good of others are the goals of the self-surrendered life. In all we say or do, and wherever we go, we are only interested in glorifying God. Paul says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1Cor.10:31).

Our moral problem is rooted in our ego - the self. Self-centered life is dangerous. James says, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (Jam.4:2-3). In this Scripture, James has given us a description of the self-centered life. Whenever we put self in front we hurt others, but a Christ-centered life harms no one. Paul enjoins us, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Rom.14:13). 

If you take out the 'h' in 'flesH' and spell it backwards, you will have 'self.' Self and flesh are one and the same thing. Satan takes sides with our flesh to war against our new nature in Christ. It is when we sacrifice self or the flesh that we find ourselves loving others genuinely and living life authentically. It is when we have denied or yielded ourselves to Christ that we are able to exalt the common good above personal good.

I make bold to say that separateness, simplicity, and self-surrender are truly components of a wonderful life.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter