Stop flipping the coin

Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Romans 6:2-4)

Can we continue...pretty pointed words, aren't they? We 'can' continue, but do we 'want' to continue? That is probably the most accurate way to say it. We might not believe it, but the 'bond' to sin has been broken when we said 'yes' to Jesus. The 'desire' remains, causing us much difficulty at times. We know the right words to say, but the wrong ones make it past our lips. We know the right actions to take, but we drag our feet. We understand right from wrong, but we lean to the wrong side of the decisions just a little too frequently. The struggle is real, but there is always another choice to be made - to live in a power not our own.

Since we have died to sin - past tense. Now we also may live new lives - present tense. It is the 'in between' tense that gives us all the trouble, isn't it? We get mired in the way we chose to live 'in the past' and we want to plunge head-long into how we are called to live 'in the present', but we actually live 'somewhere in between'. We don't always make wise choices - mostly because we haven't figured out how to live 'in present tense' yet! We died - past tense. We were buried with Christ - past tense. As Christ was raised by God's power, we can live in this 'new tense'. 

If we don't have it all figured out yet, it is okay. We don't have to understand grace fully to walk inside its protection. We don't have to always feel God's power at work within us to know it is working. We might just find ourselves relying a bit too much on the 'feeling' of power rather than trusting in the 'presence' of power. When we don't 'feel it', we don't always think it is working within us, but God doesn't always have to be 'felt' to be deeply at work within. It is the 'now' we need to focus on - NOW we MAY live new lives. It is a moment-by-moment choice. 

We MAY do a whole lot of things but choosing the right side of the 'MAY coin' is important. We "MAY" choose to live according to the old way of life, or we "MAY" choose to live under the authority of Christ and the power of his presence within us. Some of us live life like it is a coin-toss. It isn't! There is only one side to the 'coin' - Christ. There is no 'tails' side to this 'coin'. Truth is, we need to stop 'flipping the coin' and just lean into his presence and power within. As soon as we do, we might just find the "NOW" is a whole lot easier. Just sayin!

Live beyond feelings

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

We might not 'feel' like we have what it takes to live godly lives, make right choices, and be at peace with ourselves, much less others. Those feelings can be overwhelming at times, almost stifling any forward movement we desire to make in our spiritual lives. Truth be told, we sometimes need to engage in a little 'self-talk' to tell our feelings to take a hike! If we relied upon how we 'felt' everyday, many of us would never make it out of bed! God has given us everything - not just some of the stuff, but all of whatever it is we need in order to live godly lives. If we can just remind ourselves of this whenever we feel like we cannot put one foot in front of the other, feeling like every decision to live according to his principles is just 'too difficult', we might just get beyond those feelings a little quicker. Why do you suppose God told us to get scripture into our hearts and minds? He knew we'd need it to counter the 'feelings' that lead us down a contrary path on occasion.

All we need for godly living - received by entering into his family, bolstered within his family, and shared because we are in family. As we come to know him, we get placed within the family of God. We no longer walk alone, but according to the grace of God dwelling within us. How do we come to 'know' anyone on this earth? Isn't it because we spend time with them? If we spend only a meager amount of time with Jesus each day, do we think we will have a deep and lasting relationship with him? If we spend very little time with his family of believers, who will we 'do life' with instead? God gives us all we need and that includes the determination of heart and mind to live beyond our feelings. If you ever went to work on a day when you just didn't 'feel like it', you chose something other than what you were feeling and acted upon that choice instead. Sometimes we have to act 'beyond' or 'above' those feelings we have of not being able to walk this Christ-filled life. Yes, we made mistakes and we blundered, but those feelings of guilt or shame don't have control over us - God's grace does.

Living beyond our feelings begins when we remind ourselves that his grace and power is greater than our 'feelings'. By his divine power might just become the most important words within this passage for some of us. We don't take our next steps without his divine power. We don't overcome our lackluster feelings or doldrums by any other means than his divine power. Don't know what the doldrums are? It is the state of inactivity - of stagnation - that can hold us back and keep us from entering into what God intends for each of us. If that is where you find yourself from time to time, take heart - God has given you his divine power to move beyond the stagnancy of heart that has kept you mired down. We just need to allow his power to begin to 'talk over' the voice of our 'feelings'. Just sayin!