1 Kings 12-13 | Luke 22:1-30
“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5
We are all born in the state of spiritual death, which means we are all eternally separated from God. The only solution to spiritual death is spiritual life. Now, suppose we have a car that ran out of gas and we parked it on the side of the road. If we leave the car there long enough, it will begin to gather dirt, dust and exhaust from the road. In due course, the car will start to rust and corrode a little and the paint will begin to peel. If a person came by and tried to fix this car by cleaning the dust and putting a new coat of paint on top, would the car be able to start? No, it would not because the reason why the car could not run is that it is out of gas; the only way to make the car run again is by putting gas into the tank. Like the car that ran out of gas, we are spiritually dead because we do not have the life of God in us.
How do we get this life in us? Paul tells us, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17). What Paul is saying is that the first man, Adam, brought death, but Jesus Christ came and brought life. What makes us alive is Christ Himself by His Holy Spirit coming to indwell us. Christ is not only the giver of life; He is the life. John writes, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). Because the life that we receive is the Son, this is why Paul said, “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Returning to the opening analogy of the car, once gas is put into the tank and the car is able to run again, the next logical step is to clean off the rust and corrosion and give the car a new paint. Similarly, when we become a Christian—when the life of Jesus indwells in us—He puts new desires, new appetites in our hearts. As Christians, we do not get a big stick to make us behave; rather, there is an internal appetite, a hunger and thirst for that which is pleasing to God.
PRAYER
Dear God, I am only alive because of Jesus Christ. With the new desires and appetite in me, I want to live a life that brings You glory. Thank You, Lord.