Raised!

Raised!

Colossians 3 : 1 AMPC

IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

It is quite instructive to note the first two words of the verse above are in uppercase; it appears to be the driver of the rest of the verse. It is both a conditional as well as a definitive phrase, because it starts with an IF and ends with a THEN. Easter demands that I understand the condition as well as the definitions that surround this season. Christ has sealed life for me through his death on the cross. He has obtained full redemption and sanctification. He invites me to come and take of these benefits and blessings, but His love does not compel me. It is the exercise of my freewill that will bring me to the cross, to take of that which has been provided for me, and it is the result of that freewill that will enable me live the life that has been sealed and secured for me.

It is this free will that will be the key to life, or the bane of some people's existence. If I take hold of the offer, I share in His resurrection. I cannot lay hold of life without first tasting of His death. It is by dying to sin and self that I can be raised to a life of righteousness. Some may lay claim to the benefits of resurrection, but the key is not by just claiming "I receive", but by allowing the Life of God, who is Jesus Himself, live in me. How can I claim to be a child of God, and there would be no mark or feature of Him evident in my life? How will the world be attracted to a message that is not different from what it has always heard or seen? Am I an ambassador for Christ, reflecting His glory and splendour, or am I still doing my own thing? 

Of course, my new reality demands new pursuits and priorities. If Christ is seated at the right hand of God in heaven, and I am in Him, then I am not to be involved in the things that Christ died to save me from. How can I be in Christ, and still be comfortable around sin? Can the Holy Spirit dwell in a man's heart and share control, at the same time as the devil? There are treasures that have been made available for me, both here on earth and in eternity, but I cannot access these without the right key. Location drives access. If I am not in the right place, subject to the right authority, and obeying the right rules, I will not have the right results. Those who have been raised from death are no longer subject to the law of sin and death. May His death and resurrection not be wasted over my life. I ask God for grace to be a living, breathing testament to the power of resurrection. God's time of favour is here.