Three times? That can’t be right.
How does that advertising mantra go?
You’ve only got one life to live.
And that’s true . . . unless you’re a cat, then you get eight more opportunities to try again.
After all, we know that a cat has nine chances at life (which is eight more than we get).
So, how do we live three times in Christ? How does that work? Do we get to come back, maybe like Lazarus, or like the others in the Word that were raised from the dead?
Can we do that twice? How else can we live three times in Christ?
Let’s look at Galatians 2:20 and see what this verse says.
“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.”
Here are our three lives that we get to live in Christ:
Life No. 1:
First, there’s us. When we are crucified with Christ, we don’t die a literal, physical death. We give up the old us, the life we once lived, the bad things we used to find so enjoyable, and we live differently. In IT terms, we reboot our hard drive to reset our options and choices.
Life No. 2:
Next, there’s Jesus. His lifestyle becomes ours. Obviously, we don’t don sandals, wear a robe with no underwear, and go weeks without a bath. Two thousand years have passed since people did that. We must study the Word to learn Jesus’ thoughts, his desires, his attitudes towards others. That’s what we take on.
Life No. 3:
Finally, there’s the life we lead for everyone else. Through our faith in Christ, we become better to the people we interact with. Kinder. Gentler. More considerate. We don’t think of ourselves first. Instead, we consider what Jesus would do in a particular situation, and we walk a path that shares the love of Jesus with everyone we meet.
We may not get nine chances to start again in our go-around from birth to death, but we can certainly have three. It comes through salvation and living out Christ from day to day.
Become who you are supposed to be. Be like Jesus. It’s why you were created.
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