Crucified

DEVOTION
GALATIONS
CRUCIFIED
Gal 5:23
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
NIV
It sure does not leave any wiggle room at all for my sinful nature. In fact that nature has to be nailed to a cross and die. What else can be said, except it is dead? If I belong to Christ Jesus there is no other way, and I do belong to him. To crucify the sinful nature requires the extinguishing anything worldly which would have an influence on me and for a longing of anything which is forbidden. That is the meaning of those Greek words translated to passions and desires. So often I think my fellow believers pay much attention to only part the sensual behavior or immoral conduct which is not to be a part of a Christian’s life, but pay little to any attention of the extinguishing of desires for worldly things. I do believe this is also a call to reject the desire for material gain, not the material gain in itself, but the desire for it. I have much gain, but I have to acknowledge God has supplied that gain, not I. Do I look at stuff and think how nice it would be to have? There are times when certain things do draw my attention and I wonder what it would be like to have. But if I have crucified that nature with all its weakness to be influenced and with all its desires or lusts for that which is forbidden, those moments are just that, moments and not a way of life. I do not spend the efforts of my life in pursuit of them. That may well be at the center of this verse. What does influence my efforts, my energies, and my direction of life? What do I long for? Is it the world and all it has to offer, fame, power, success, position, wealth and death or is it Christ and all he has to offer, the incomparable riches of his Glory and eternal life? This just has to be a no brainer. Let’s see death of life. I choose life and life more abundantly. This life I live may not be considered by the world as being ambitious, striving for as much as I can get, but it is my life and I know the outcome of the choice I made. No, I shall not remove my old nature from that cross, it will remain crucified.