Die to Live and Live to Die
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. I Peter 4:1-2 (KJV)
Christ suffered physical pain for us, dying on the cross. We’re to have the same attitude- looking to please God and not ourselves, even if it causes pain. For example, resisting sin may cause us to be persecuted, but it is worth it to please God. It can be hard on the flesh to resist the sinful pleasures it wants to pursue in order to follow the Lord.
The more we die to our flesh, crucifying it daily, the more we can live unto God. As a result, sin will lose its attraction nd hold on us. Sin will no longer have dominion because we’ve become dead to sin. The more we die to sin by saying no to our flesh, our carnal nature and fleshly mindset, the more we can say yes to God’s will. Thus, we will live unto God.
We no longer live for our pleasures to gratify the flesh, but we live for God’s pleasure- to please Him and do His will. When sin no longer has dominion over us, we are more able to lay our lives down- even to death if necessary like Jesus did. Yet, as we crucify our flesh by saying no to it, the greater the desire becomes to do what God wants us to do. And we’re more readily able to overcome any persecution that comes with following God. We must die to live, and by living for God, we die daily.
