Living The Crucified Life.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20.

A massive healthy looking redwood tree in a  forest suddenly crashed to the ground after standing for over 1,200 years. When scientists studied the stump, they found no massive storm or wind damage at the top. Instead, tiny beetles had chewed away at the inner core of the tree over decades. Outwardly, it looked grand and strong, but its inner support was hollowed out. This mirrors what happens when believers try to live on their own hidden pride or self-reliance. When you trust in your own goodness (your "inner strength") instead of clinging to Christ, your foundation rots. True stability doesn't come from how strong you look on the outside; it comes from staying rooted in God’s grace.

Believers are called to live a life that reflects the character of God, which stands in direct contrast to a self-indulgent lifestyle. Self-indulgence places personal desires, comfort, and pleasures above everything else, leading to spiritual blindness and a fractured relationship with the Creator. When a believer focuses solely on satisfying the flesh, they become enslaved to desires that never truly satisfy. Scripture warns that living to please oneself distracts from the true purpose of faith, which is to love God and serve others with a pure heart. The primary danger of self-indulgence is that it breeds spiritual death and alienation from God. 

Ultimately, the call of the Christian faith is one of self-denial and sacrificial love, modeled perfectly by Jesus Christ. In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells His followers, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." True discipleship requires a daily decision to surrender personal ambitions and fleshly desires for the sake of Christ. By rejecting self-indulgence, a believer frees themselves to experience the abundant, purposeful life that God intended—one marked by discipline, spiritual power, and genuine joy. The pursuit of personal comfort chokes out a believer's usefulness, leaving them unfruitful and unresponsive to the needs of the world around them. Selah! 

FURTHER READING:

“Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" Matt. 16:24.

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phil. 2:3-4.

DECLARATION: 

Dear Abba Father, I thank You for the gift of life and the privilege of salvation. Lord, help me to live each day not for my own comfort, but to love You supremely and to serve the people You have placed in my life. Break the grip of any appetite or desire that tries to master me. Deliver me from being a slave to my own impulses, and fill my soul with a fresh, deeper satisfaction in You in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:

Jer. 50:1-46.

Jer. 51:1-64.

Jer. 52:1-34.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“The Fastest Way To Overcome The World Is To Conquer The Flesh.”