Finger Thinking - On Me

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Gal. 5:24  ESV

Have we?  Have we indeed nailed "our" fleshly passions and desires to the cross?

Paul says that we have done this, not that it has been done.  This is an engagement the believer will be involved in until He comes.  But are we engaged in it?  Do we, with willfull intention and humble dependence actively seek to crucify the flesh - to kill it?  Or do we merely swat at it and/or just battle those desires and passions for which we would suffer some public shame?

The life of the believer is an up-stream journey.  The world, the flesh and the devil ae the river in which we journey.  We don't just float up-stream.  Nor may we tie ourselves to the bank and wait.  We are called for a purpose and in a specific direction.  Plainly put we are to glorify God - now that it is possible through the sacrificed of Christ.
We are not "saved' for ourselves but for His glory and praise.  For His good pleasure.  And yet we seem to miss that point.

In this river there are rapids and rocks and eddys.  There are dangers.  There are calm places where the progress is pleasant and there are those places where we must paddle with every ounce of energy we have.  Why?  To "gain" something?  No!  We paddle becasue we have gained something by His grace and in humble submission and thanks we live appropriately and intentionally for the purpose of the gift.

Consider whether your salvation is of such great value as your glorifying of Him.  Do you not see the connection?  Do you not see that it is a horror to assume the gift was only about or for you?  Indeed it is a great gift but it for His glory and righteousness first and foremost.

Our redemption glorifies Him and so everything the redeemed think, feel or do is to glorify Him.  Yes, He is passively glorified in what He has done in and for us BUT He will be actively glorified in and through our lvin for Him.

Note the subtle difference:
"Jesus saved me."
"God has glorified Himself in redeeming me through Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.

Can you see the difference?

Our salvation is all fo His glory.  Certainly we benefit - we benefit worderfully - but it is for His glroy we do so.

This is not something I have understood for most of my life in Him.  Like many I was just happy to be saved.  But as I learned more, studied more I was greatly convicted that there was something missing in my understanding and appreciation.  I was more focused on what was in it for me than what His purpose is in my salvation.  I can best describe it as finally seeing salvation from His point of view as opposed to the common view most of us have.

The greatest change this has had for me is in my prayer life.  As the model prayer teaches us to begin with Him and His glory so I find myself stuck in my prayers glorifying Him and fighting what I see as my fleshly supplications and requests.  Somehow, what I need or want has grown smaller compared to my need to praise and glorify Him.

Oh, I want to eat and have a roof and enjoy the blessings of His creation but more and more I find that my desires are based upon wheher or not my "getting" is for and to His glory.  I am growing in my desire to glorify Him over and above my desire to be comforable and satisfied by anything here.  It has made many many of my requests suspect in my mind and heart.

He is my God - I am His servant and His child - I want Him and His glory to be he focus of my life and living.  Yes, that is kind of scary.  When I read in the Word and in the history of His pepole what the probable cost of that is - it is scary.

I want to forsake all for His glory and yet my flesh is terrified of what that might mean.  Of course my flesh would not have me glorify Him at all - but, except for what little I can do about it - my flesh is His problem.  Certainly the God who defeated sin and death can and will ovecome my fleshy parts.