August 8

I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. — Gal 2:20

The true Christian life is a re–incarnation of Christ. That is the way Paul puts it in the closing verses of our chapter. He had been crucified with Christ. Yet he was not dead. Rather, he was dead, and another lived in his place. “It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.”

The man who lived in this house by the side of the road died recently and his house was left empty. But it did not long remain empty. Immediately another man moved in, a man with different tastes and habitudes. Everything is changed in and about the place. Roughness, bitterness, and selfishness have given way to refinement, sweetness, and love.

Within the house are peace, song, and affection. Outside, sweet flowers pour their fragrance on the air. This is a wonderful picture of what takes place when a bad man becomes a Christian.

The new life is Christ living in the man, and where Christ lives all is beauty and blessing. The old wilderness becomes a rose garden. Sin gives way to holiness.