Thursday, April 10

Dying Daily and Living Free

Morgan Jones

Reading

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:1, 16-17, 22-24

Reflection

Growing up in the church, I was always puzzled by the phrase “dying daily for Christ.” Perhaps you’ve heard it too and been similarly perplexed. It wasn’t until I became a young adult that I began to understand it: “dying daily” means yielding my desire for safety, security, and control in exchange for the freedom found in Christ. Over time, I’ve learned where to put my treasure, and like the man declared in Mark’s sermon on Sunday, I too “am a free (wo)man now!”

My first “death” was dying to stuff. One day I got a call from my alarm company—my house had been burglarized. By the time the police and I arrived, the perpetrators had fled. As a recent college graduate, living alone and working my first professional job, there wasn’t anything of much material value in my house—except my personal sense of security. That, of course, was shattered. The experience prompted me to reevaluate my relationship with my possessions and lean more fully on God for a sense of safety and peace.

Over the last fifteen years, I’ve experienced similar “deaths” as I’ve faced new challenges. Whether it was the struggle of extreme morning sickness, the loss of control in early motherhood, a steep health decline following illness, the death of loved ones, or career transitions, I’ve had to learn to hold loosely to the things of this world in order to cling more tightly to the spiritual gifts of Christ.

Dying daily for Christ is a lifelong process of growing in personal holiness (sanctification) as a response to the gift of salvation. Each day, I have the choice: to be set free from—or remain captive to—the things that keep me from living fully in the Kingdom of God. I’m learning that the more I let go and trust Him, the more trustworthy He proves to be—and the easier it becomes to let go again.

What is holding you captive? What do you need to be set free from? Loosen your grip, and invite God into those places where trust comes hard.

Prayer:
Loving and merciful God,
I confess that I struggle to relinquish control over __________ to you.
I invite you into my struggle with ____________________.
Release me from being captive to it.
I open my hand to let go of these things and invite you to take my hand instead.
I trust you with my whole life.
Amen.