We heard a fabulous message by a local pastor this Sunday. It was called CSI: Crime of Passion. Instead of focusing on the death of Christ, his emphasis was on the death we each died with Christ. As a reminder, he handed out tags with Galatians 2:20 written on them. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” I shared with Jonathon (after the message because I know proper church etiquette. Don’t be so shocked!) that I am keeping mine as it is my spiritual toe tag. He asked, “What’s a toe tag?” I defined. He defied. And thus this blog!
BLAM again! I just like mimicking #1Son. My toe tag is a simple reminder that the old is dead and that Christ now lives in me. A simple reminder to believe and to live as risen. Indeed!
That’s the tough part, isn’t it? Believing I am in Him in the moment that my flesh says “I”, “me”, “my”, “my rights”, “my wants”, I’m sure I speak for some of us (trying to play fair) that we often forget that we wear the marks of a cross and that we have died to sin, that sin no longer has mastery over us. Though it certainly seems to have a voice in this body of mine, I need not heed it. It’s “not the boss of me.” And so I bear my toe tag. It is the mark of an old identity that no longer remains, that was killed in the agony of the passion of Christ. Jesus put to death for my crime; the old self put to death for His joy. Certainly not a fair exchange.
Since I can’tt really walk around with the tag tied to my big toe (though I fancy Ezekiel would have done it!), I’ve tied it to my writing bag (if you know me, I need not explain). It is not just a reminder (shame on me for ever needing one) of my death to sin, but a reminder for me to daily live to walk fully by faith in the grace and power of His Spirit.
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