2 Corinthians 4:7-12 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.”
We must always and continuously die to self daily, that His life may be made manifest in our lives. Let all that He has poured into you shine for others. We carry the light of the knowledge of God around in our earthy bodies, that we may display God for others. As Christ died for our sins, we die daily to ourselves, to our desires, putting Christ and others first in our lives, that our lives may look like Christ’s. Though we therefore die daily, we also daily have our lives in Christ renewed.
The key to having a life daily renewed by Christ is living in the excellency of His power. In order to tap into this power, we must have lost ourselves in the magnificent love of Christ. The “excellency” of our power is God at work in our simple selves, our earthen vessels. God is so powerful that He can take a simple earthen vessel, a pot made of clay, fill it with Himself and then use it to glorify Himself. As we begin to weave our life by the thread of His love, we will find that the things of this world will grow strangely dim.
As we crucify ourselves daily we are dead to things of the world and our life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). In order to die to the world, we must turn our hearts towards God. In Colossians 3:2, we are told, “set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth”. Therefore, when the troubles and trials of this world come our way, we are not tossed about by our circumstances, but remain at peace when our heart is in perfect harmony with God. As God’s greatness and His Glory become more of a treasure to us, the things of this earth hold no value to us and no power over. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21).
As we live our lives we are daily reminded of the value of the cross. Just as Christ crucified sin once and for all, with His sacrificial death and His miraculous resurrection, daily, we must crucify the old man and live in the newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17). The lives we have are no longer our own. Our old man was crucified with Christ and the lives we live now are lived by faith in Christ (Galatians 2:20). Our everyday life must reflect that His death on the cross was sufficient payment for our sins. Our witness to the transforming power of His blood is an outward manifestation of inward change. We must die daily, that He must live supremely.
His supreme sacrifice was that he died once (Hebrews 10:10). Christ died once to forgive us of our sins, but we die daily to ourselves and to our earthly desires, putting others first, in order that He may be made manifest in our lives. As Galatians 5:24 states, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts”.
We must always trust God and always place others before ourselves. We must die to our earthly desires that we might gain new life, daily, in Christ. Though the circumstances of life might get tough and seem overwhelming, we know that God is upholding us. We trust. We do not doubt. If we approach each and every circumstance with the knowledge that God is sovereign, the circumstances only pale in comparison.
Ephesians 4:22-24 says, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” We are created a new man and as we die daily to our earthly desires, we must put him on and live in “righteousness and true holiness”.
Written by Kimberly Miller and Erika Klose