If Christ Gave You Life...
But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for God does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." — 1 Samuel 16:7
However, what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. — Philippians 3:7
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: Our life depends on remaining in Christ: apart from him, we can do nothing. At the cross, we left our past behind and received an eternal future and a new identity as children of God, based neither on our achievements nor on the labels of sin. So let us not remain bound by old mistakes or seek success by conforming to the world. Knowing Christ is worth more than everything else and moves us to live with joy and gratitude. Our relationship with God shapes how we love our family and others. Though we remain fragile and God is still at work in us, Christ has overcome the world, and nothing will separate us from his love.
Your life depends on your relationship with God. Apart from Him, you can do nothing. Christ gives you a new past and a new future. Your past was left at the cross; your future is eternity with Christ. Before he was in Christ, Paul based his identity on his successes…whatever was gain to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (Phil 3:7). Living by this principle is not only wise but essential.
If you are already in Christ and still cling to your past, your life will be miserable. Everything is new now, including you. Stop dwelling on your mistakes; Christ erased them. Since God has made you a new creation, drawing on the DNA of His Son, Christ, live the Christian life with joy and gratitude to the Lord. You are complete. Your spiritual life is everything. Your relationship with God will determine the quality of your marriage, your parenting, and your love for others. Although the enemy of God and of the world will insist on reminding you of it again and again, you are no longer a thief or a liar; not even an adulterer or a murderer. The devil works to put labels on you; God works to remove them. The enemy reminds you of your humanity; God reminds you of your spirituality. Your identity is in your spirit: child of God. No one can take it from you or erase it from the Book of Life.
If you are in Christ, you must show that, truly, in every circumstance, the past was a loss. A loss of life, of time, of blessing. Christians who live in the present through their past have not yet experienced God's love. God has given us a new identity in Christ; therefore, I no longer have to conform to the world in search of success. My success lies in my new identity as a child of God through Christ's merits on the cross. “What is more, I consider everything a loss in view of the incomparable value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8).
Knowing Christ gives life. “And this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
Those words still echo in my ears: “Do you feel that you need Christ in your life?” My heart said yes; my mind said no. Human beings are mentally oriented by nature and hide their emotions. My “Yes!” came from my heart. And although the heart is deceitful, this time it was not deceiving me. God says: “People look at appearances, but I look at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Your spirit came to life (it had been dead) when God placed His Spirit in you. That is why you are spiritual, a vessel shaped by God's hands, although He has not yet finished His work in you. As long as you are on this side of eternity, you will be fragile and inconsistent, but do not forget that Christ overcame the world and that affliction is yet another proof of His incomparable love.
Live for Christ by remaining in Him. The devil tries to pigeonhole you by what you do; God loves you for who you are, and nothing and no one will separate you from His love (Romans 8:38)
God bless you!