Not About Me

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."Galatians 2:20.

In my previous posting, I said that Paul was by far the greatest Christian leader of all time. I believe it would be a futile endeavor on anyone's part, mine included, to attempt a search for someone equal to his level of commitment to Christ. I say this because Holy Scripture itself gives us sufficient evidence that this saint was consumed by Christ. Consumed is the word I feel is most fitting to describe Paul with regard to his life of faith and service. This is mainly due to his firm resolve to disclaim all significance about himself. "For to me to live is Christ," and, "To be absent from the body and present with the Lord is far better:" Both of these statements of Paul's tell me much about what, or I should say, Who, preoccupied him.

Whenever Paul made any reference to himself, such as using "I" or "me," he used them only as his life directly applied to his oneness with the Lord. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I love by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Outside of that sacred realm, nothing else about Paul, as far as he was concerned, really mattered.

Yet, after Paul's miraculous life change in Damascus, as he grew in God's grace and knowledge, he came to understand the importance of caring for others. He expressed many times his burden for his own people, the Israelites, and he came to appreciate the fact that God is an all-inclusive God, meaning that He desires that all men everywhere might be saved. And so, the Apostle, in his unswerving commitment to the Lord Jesus, came to have the same desire in his own heart to see all persons come to a knowledge of God's saving gace and truth.

If Paul were to be here in this world today, he would tell you and me that "it's not about me. It's all about Christ and His love for us all." Being crucified with Christ means just that. It means a deliberate resolve to die, die to self. If I earnestly expect to live with Christ, I must, as He did, die. For in dying, I will truly live.

Much out there in this present world appeals to peoples' quest for personal gain and personal fulfillment, whatever that means. Billboards on roadsides say "You owe it to yourself," or "You are really all that matters." But I feel here to say that the longer I live on this present earth, the less interested I am in what matters to me. In all honesty, me is what I need to get away from. Me is what got me into trouble in the first place. Me and myself and mine is all about me, and that will mean me will, at the close of my life here, end in bitter disappointment. But if I deny me and take up my cross daily and follow the One who loved me and gave Himself for me, I will never be disappointed, never. And never will you either, if you come to terms with this awesome truth. The big paradox, I suppose, is that since we matter to God, which is why He sent His Son to die for us, then what ought to matter to us is living as if God truly matters to us. This, of course can only be realized when we say to Him, "Lord, it's not about me. It's all about You and Your love for me. Therefore, make me into the man or woman You desire for me to be, and while You are at it, Lord, please move me completely out of the way, so that when I stand before You on that Day, all You will see is You.