ARE YOU DYING TO LIVE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we
died with him, we will also live with him”
(2 Timothy 2:11)

MEDITATION:
Dying is one topic that many of us would prefer not to discuss, or
even think about. One of the reasons might be that we are ‘social
beings’. We enjoy being around others and we don’t particularly
enjoy being alone for any length of time.

Consequently, when we think of death, we realize that it is
something we will have to do alone. But is that really true?
Would God abandon us as when we make our final journey?
That’s not what happens for believers, is it?

God has promised never to leave us or forsake us.
    Keep your lives free from the love of money
    and be content with what you have, because
    God has said, “Never will I leave you; never
    will I forsake you.”
    (Hebrews 13:5)

Since He is the God of Truth, He never breaks His promises.
And, since He never breaks His promises, then He will be with
us even as we face death. In fact, we may be more aware of His
presence when we are on the brink of death, than we ever were
during our life. What a comforting thought to know that He is
waiting to walk with us through this new (and final) experience.

That covers the physical death, but there is more! We can also
die while we live. We die to the things of this world and live with
Him while we are still here on earth. During our physical death
He makes the journey with us, but when we die to worldly things,
we can be sure that He walks with us daily, as we live. That should
cause excitement in the one who are in the family of God. The all
powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God of the universe (the ONLY
God) is with us every day.

What does that mean to us? It could mean any number of things to
each individual, but to all of us it means that He gives us strength
to deal with the challenges we face in a sinful world. Of course the
key to enjoying His presence, is to actually die to the things of the
world.

When we choose to ‘die to the things of the world’, we can start
living with Him and begin enjoying the blessings He has for us.
    Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom
    and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
    his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
    (Romans 11:33)

Dying a physical death is not a choice (Jesus is the only one who
chose to die), but dying to the things of this world is a choice.
One could argue that someone who takes their own life, chose
to die. They chose to die earlier perhaps, but they did not make
a choice to die. The scriptures say that we are destined to die.
    Just as people are destined to die
    once, and after that to face judgment
    (Hebrews 9:27)

When we choose to ‘die to the world’ and ‘live with God’, everything
changes for us. We have new desires, a new focus and new priorities.
Our desires for the things of the world are replaced with new desires
to spend time with the Lord, and to make every effort to please Him.

Why would we want to spend time with the Lord? Because we enjoy it!
In fact, if we do not enjoy spending time with the Lord and look forward
to worshipping Him, we may need to re-evaluate our faith and determine
if we need to make additional changes. Maybe there are some things of
the world we have not ‘died to’ yet.

It is no secret that the world is trying to remove God from everything
as much as possible. Apparently, this is having an impact on believers
as well, because many are attending church less frequently, or not at
all. How can God continue to shape our lives if we choose to spend less
time with Him?

Another concern is, when we spend less time with Him, something
is going to fill the gap. Whatever replaces our time with God will
more than likely lead us farther away from Him. It is important
for believers to read His Word, pray, and worship with others in
His house.

During the Great Depression, there was a man who lost his job, his
fortune, his wife and his home. He clung to the only hope he had
left – his faith. One day he stopped to watch some men doing some
stonework on a huge church. One of them was chiseling a piece of
stone in the shape of a triangle.
He asked,
    “What are you going to do with that?”
The workman replied,
    “See that little opening away up there near the spire?
      Well, I’m shaping this down here, so it will fit in up there.”

Tears filled the eyes of the man as he walked away. He felt that God
had spoken to him through the workman as he tried to cope with his
problems. It was as if God was saying to him,
    “I’m shaping you down here, so you’ll fit in up there.”

ACTION:
What things of the world have you failed to die to? Are you still
clinging to some things you know you should let go of? Have you
said,
    “One of these days I’ll let go of ______” (fill in the blank)?

Today is ‘one of these days’. When will you choose to die to the things
that displease God? You can choose not to choose, but when you don’t
choose, you have made a choice. Do you really want to live with God
now, or not?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I ask you to forgive me for holding
on to some things of this world. I want to please you and
not the world, but I know that I struggle in some areas.
Others may not know about my flaws and failures, but
You do, and I am so sorry. Please continue shaping my
life so that I will die to the worldly things, and have a
closer walk with You. You mean that much to me! Amen.”

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