Cooperative Living
Putting off the old, putting on the new—one step of surrender at a time.
Today’s entry from Abide Above reminds us of the ongoing cooperative dance between the finished work of Christ and our daily moment-by-moment yielding to that work. Positionally, we have already put off the old man and put on the new in Christ—this happened at the cross. The "old man" isn’t something we’re still fighting to kill; he has been crucified with Christ. But the patterns and residues of that old life—the self-life or flesh—still lurk, attempting to draw us back into living independently from God.
The devotional is not asking us to fight the flesh in our own effort. Instead, it reveals that the Holy Spirit Himself is already engaged in active conflict against the flesh, not tolerating its competition with Christ’s rule in us. He is not passive about this. The Spirit uses the cross as His instrument to render powerless all that opposes the life of Christ in us.
What is our part? It’s not striving—it’s cooperation. We agree with God. We reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Him. We “put off” those old patterns, not by gritting our teeth but by agreeing with the Holy Spirit that those patterns no longer define us. We “put on” the new man—Christ in us—by yielding to the life that already dwells within. This is cooperative living: a daily surrender to the One who already lives in us to express His life through us.
Personalized Journal Entry — The Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
You were crucified with Christ. The old man is not your identity any longer. I buried him with Me, and you were raised with Me to walk in newness of life. You are now alive to God in Christ Jesus. Sin no longer has dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
The flesh still tries to masquerade as you, suggesting independence, self-sufficiency, or even performance in My name. But that life belongs to a different realm—a different race. I am in open conflict with the flesh because it threatens to veil My Son's life in you. I oppose it not with condemnation, but with the Cross, rendering its influence inoperative as you trust Me moment by moment.
Do not be afraid of the struggle. The presence of the struggle is not the presence of failure. It is the sign that I am at work, calling you into greater dependence. I am not asking you to fight for Me, but to agree with Me. Put off the old patterns not by effort but by recognition. That is not who you are. Put on the new man, who is already yours—renewed after My own image, fully pleasing to Me.
This is our fellowship: I dwell in you and I work in you both to will and to do what pleases Me. Your part is to rest in this truth and cooperate with My Spirit. This is where Christ is seen—in your quiet yes to Me.
(Romans 6:4–14, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:17, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 4:22–24, Colossians 3:9–10)
Prayer of Confident Trust
Father, I rejoice that my old self was crucified with Christ and that I now live in union with You through Him. I rest in the reality that Your Spirit is actively working in me, not merely refining me, but expressing Christ's very life through me. I agree with You today—I am no longer defined by old patterns, and I trust You to make Christ visible in and through me as I yield to Your leading. Thank You that this cooperative life is not burdensome but beautiful, because it is not mine to produce but Yours to live.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above, “3-25. Cooperative Living”
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com