“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.” Galatians 2:20
There was a soldier who was wounded in battle. The padre crept out and did what he could for him. He stayed with him when the remainder of the troops retreated.
In the heat of the day, he gave him water from his own water bottle, while he himself remained parched with thirst. In the night, when the chill frost came down, he covered the wounded man with his own coat and finally wrapped him up in even more of his own clothes to save him from the cold.
In the end, the wounded man looked up at the padre.
“Padre,” he said, “You’re a Christian?”
“I try to be,” said the padre.
“Then,” said the wounded man, “if Christianity makes a man do for another man what you have done for me, tell me about it, because I want it.” (William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans)
YOU are the only Jesus somebody knows. Christ lives in you and will use you to help heal this hurting world if you’ll let Him.
The priest was willing to become uncomfortable for the sake of a dying man. Sometimes, I don’t feel like going out of my way to reach out to someone and sometimes I close the door. There are other times when I realize that I represent Jesus to the world around me and that I touch someone not with my love, but with His love. And, it makes a difference in their life and mine.
GOING DEEPER
- In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Do you see Christ living in and through you daily?
- Ask God to give you a person to reach out to today. It could be a friend, another person at school or work, or even someone in your family.
FURTHER BIBLE READING
“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ, so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” Romans 6:6
“You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:2
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37