Galatians 2:20-21 Revised Standard Version
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification[a] were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.
Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Some biblical verses reach so deeply into the heart of the gospel that they change the way you see everything.
Galatians 2:20 stands among the most powerful declarations in Scripture.
Paul describes a life reshaped, redefined, and reborn through union with Christ.
He invites you to see that the Christian life is not powered by our efforts but by Crucified Savior Christ living in you.
This is not a theory.
It is reality.
A new identity, a new power, and a new way of envisioning being in the world.
Paul’s words remind us that the old ways of life built on striving, fear, and self-righteousness has come to an end.
A new life, empowered by the Son of God who loves you and gave Himself for you, has begun.
When this truth settles into your heart, it changes not only what you believe but how you live.
Today, we step into the beauty of a life shaped by Christ within.
Big Idea 1: Your Old Life Has Ended Through the Cross
Paul begins with a powerful truth.
You have been crucified with Christ.
This does not mean you lose your personality or your humanity.
It means the old system of earning righteousness, carrying guilt, and chasing identity has been put to death.
The cross is not only an event that saved you.
It is the place where your old self was laid down and a new self was raised.
Many believers struggle because they try to live the Christian life with the old mindset.
They fear failure.
Believers often try to earn what God freely gives.
They cling to old labels, old wounds, and old patterns.
Paul reminds you that the person who lived under the weight of sin is no longer there.
In Christ, the old is dead, and the new has come.
Seeing yourself through the lens of the cross changes the way you approach everything.
You are not fighting for victory, you are fighting from victory.
You are not earning acceptance; you are living from acceptance.
Freedom grows when you believe what Christ has done in you.
Big Idea 2: The Life You Live Today Is Christ Living in You
Paul says, It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
This is the heart of Christian transformation.
The Christian life is not self-improvement.
It is Christ-empowered living. Jesus does not simply inspire you.
He indwells you.
He strengthens you, guides you, convicts you, and equips you.
This means change is possible because Christ is present.
Holiness is achievable because Christ is your power.
Obedience becomes joyful because Christ is your strength.
Your life does not depend on your willpower but on His presence.
When we pick up our bible’s, study scripture, pray Proverbs 3:5-10 to understand this transforming truth, spiritual growth becomes less and less about striving and more and more about what it means to authentically surrender self to God.
Proverbs 3:5-10 Revised Standard Version
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh[a]
and refreshment[b] to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
The life you now live, you live by faith.
Faith keeps you connected to Christ.
It invites His power into your weakness.
Faith reminds you that you are not walking alone.
Christ in you is the hope of glory and the source of your transformation.
Big Idea 3: Grace Becomes the Foundation of Your Identity and Confidence
Paul ends this passage with a warning and a promise.
He will not nullify the grace of God.
If righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
This truth guards your heart against replacing grace with effort.
Grace secures your identity, anchors your confidence, and reminds you that Christ’s sacrifice was complete and all-sufficient.
Grace does not make you passive.
It makes you grateful.
Grace frees you to obey out of love rather than fear.
It removes the pressure to perform, replaces it with the joy of living in Christ.
When grace becomes your foundation, prayer life deepens, hope strengthens, and your confidence rests no longer in yourself but in the One who loved you and gave Himself for you (Philippians 2:5-11).
Philippians 2:5-11 Revised Standard Version
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant,[a] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
You and I live in the freedom of a love which cannot be earned, won at any high stakes poker game or with a spin from a roulette wheel, will not be withdrawn.
Christ’s death declares your worth.
His life within you declares your purpose.
When I reflect on my life and who and where I once was, it’s easy to see how I’ve tried to define myself by my past, my mistakes, and the roles I’ve played.
There were times when I thought my whole identity was tied to my job, my achievements, or even how others saw me.
I struggled as I compared myself with others, thinking that who I was could only be measured by external success or someone else’s approval.
But then I found freedom in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 became a truth that I can hold on to—I no longer have to define myself by my past or even by what I’ve done.
I am now defined by the life Christ lives in me.
In him, my identity is secure.
No more striving to earn a sense of worth; no more living under the weight of expectations that I cannot hope to meet.
In Christ, I am a new creation.
This new identity in Christ does not mean I don’t/I won’t still struggle with old habits or old thoughts.
But it does mean I have a foundation that is not built on shifting sand.
Matthew 7:24-29 Revised Standard Version
Hearers and Doers
24 “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; 25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; 27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
I can live with peace because the indelible truth is that I belong to Savior Jesus.
My identity is wrapped up in his love, his grace, the work he has done for me.
Galatians 2:20-21 pulls you into the center of the gospel and your identity.
You are crucified with Christ.
You are raised with Christ. Christ lives in you.
His grace sustains you, his love defines you, and his presence empowers you.
This is more than belief.
It is reality.
It shapes your decisions, your relationships, your purpose, and your confidence.
As you walk with God today, let this truth settle deeply into your heart.
John 14:22-27 Revised Standard Version
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Christ died for you, He was resurrected for you, Christ lives in you, those truths changes everything.
“In the name of God, the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen”
Praying ….
Psalm 91Revised Standard Version
Assurance of God’s Protection
91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand;
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,[a]
the Most High your habitation,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will give his angels charge of you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
and show him my salvation.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 