The Cross for Self

📖 "I have been crucified with Christ." — Galatians 2:20 (ASV)

The Cross is the great paradox of the Christian life. It is both the place of death and the gateway to true life. It was the ultimate agony of God’s heart, yet it stands as His eternal glory. For us who are in Christ, it is both our daily dying and our continual freedom—freedom from the weight of sin and from the self-life that so often entangles.

Paul understood this deeply when he declared, “But may it never be mine to boast of anything but the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world!” (Gal. 6:14, Wms.). The Cross is not only an event of the past but a reality we are called to abide in every day.

Many believers embrace the truth of having been crucified with Christ yet treat it as something to acknowledge once and move beyond. But Scripture calls us to daily participation in the fellowship of His death. Just as Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, could not return to the fullness of glory until He had surrendered Himself to death, so too we cannot fully experience His abundant life until we daily yield to our crucifixion with Him.

Think of a bridge stretched over a deep chasm. The only way to cross into new territory is to step onto the bridge, leaving the familiar behind. If we try to cling to both sides, we remain stranded, unable to move forward. In the same way, we must step fully into the reality of our death with Christ, yielding our rights, desires, and self-sufficiency, so that His life may carry us forward.

This is not a loss but a divine exchange. His humility, His servant heart, and His obedience unto death now become the disposition that marks our daily walk. "Have this mind [attitude] in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 2:5, ASV). The more we embrace this truth, the more we experience the fullness of His risen life, a life not bound by the world but rooted in the unshakable sufficiency of Christ in us.

Prayer of Trust

Father, we rest in the finished work of the Cross. We acknowledge that in Christ, we have died to sin and the self-life, and we now walk in the freedom of His indwelling life. Thank You for the continual grace that enables us to abide in this truth daily. We yield ourselves moment by moment, trusting that Christ in us is sufficient for every need, every trial, and every step of this journey. May our lives be a testimony of Your power, as we walk in humble surrender, knowing that You are our life. Amen.

📸 Photo Credit: Unsplash
✍️ Devotional Credit: Abide Above