Devotional - week of November 9, 2008

AS BEING ALIVE FROM THE DEAD

… present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead … Romans 6:13b

The best approach to a correct understanding of the meaning of the words “… being alive from the dead” is to follow the rule of interpretation that says, we interpret a statement of Scripture in the light of its context.

The broader context of this passage is that all believers are spiritually crucified, buried, and resurrected. Therefore, these words must mean that we are to make our lives available to God as people who are spiritually crucified, buried, and resurrected.

We are to make ourselves available to God as those whose know-it-all attitude is crucified and buried and as being in face-to-face fellowship with God—ready for Him to tell us what to do.

As we live our lives in this manner, among many other things, our prayer lives are changed. We begin to pray as Jesus prayed. In the Gospel of John, Jesus testifies multiple times that His life was one of responding to His father. Four times the New American Standard version of the Bible quotes Jesus in the Gospel of John as saying that He did not initiate anything. He was always listening to the Father.

John 11:41-42a quotes Jesus as saying at the raising of Lazarus from the dead, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me …” Even His asking must have been under the prompting of His Father. We will do the same as we make our lives available to God as those crucified, buried and resurrected.

Listening and responding is the life described in Ephesians 2:10.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

When we know we are responding to the leadership of God, we can know that we are living a life planned for us before the creation of the world. No other approach to life can be as exciting and fulfilling.

Also, by living in this manner, our works will be gold, silver and precious stones—preparing us for the judgment of God.

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