Day 4 - Saturday

Day 4

 

"Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"  Romans 13:14 (TMSG)

 

We are revisiting yesterday's scripture, this time in The Message, because we want to look at the other part of this passage.  We not only need to repent of our sins, which means we turn from the things that keep us out of relationship with God, but the Apostle Paul gives us a hint to what will help us.

 

"Dress yourselves in Christ…"  Paul reminds us that we do not live this faith on our own, in fact it was Jesus who told us that we cannot do anything without him.  And this applies also to not letting sin rule our lives.  It takes living "dressed in Christ."

 

Taking on the presence of Christ in our lives is an act of our faith that we do everyday.  It is the acknowledgement that we are helpless to face the temptations and trials of life without the grace and mercy of Christ alive and active in our lives. 

 

I remember a particularly trying time in my life when I was finding myself crippled by stress.  The job I was in was overwhelming and I could barely function under the weight.  At the height of all of this, I found that if every morning I woke up, before I moved out of the bed, I would pray:  "God, I cannot do this job, live this day through, without you working through me.  I give you this job, and ask you to do it through me."  I began to find I had more grace to go to walk.  I was "putting on Christ."  I had come to the end of myself and allowed him to work and live and move through me.  Soon I had success and looked forward to going to work once again.

 

Paul said something like this when he wrote to the Galatians:

"Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  Galatians 2:20 (TMSG)

 

Over this Lenten journey we are going to explore the attributes of Christ that we can dress ourselves with that will help us find and fulfill the plan of God for our lives. 

 

Prayer:  "Jesus, I come today and ask you to live and move through me.  Give me grace for this day and help me to live fully in your peace and wisdom.  In Your name, Amen."