(pic from YouVersion)

One thing that often escapes us all is that as soon as we surrender ourselves upon His Potter’s wheel through crucifying ourselves, we have the privilege and intimacy of His Potter’s hand being on our lives every day from that moment onwards. What greater comfort and greater strength can we have but to know and live with His hand always upon us. We are constantly touched by His great and kind and loving hand. And when we are in His hand, what better place could we ever be, for all eternity. We come to You willingly, my LORD, for as we die to self, we come alive to the greatest life there is, which is the fullness and abundance of Him who loved me and gave Himself for me. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”‭‭ (Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬).

There is a difference between our crucifixion and that of Jesus’. Only a spotless lamb can be crucified for our sins, which none of us qualify for. Only Jesus fulfills that condition. We are not called to crucify ourselves for our sins but to lay down our lives as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) on the altar of obedience, which is the altar of love, and is the proof of our love. Firstly, Jesus says, if you love Me you will obey Me (John 14:15). Secondly, in John 15:14, Jesus regards us friends if we do what He commands us - which is what? To obey him. So if we obey Him, we prove we love Him AND we are considered His friends. Thirdly, Jesus also says that there is no greater love than one who lay his life down for his FRIENDS (John 15:3).

How we lay down our lives for our friend Jesus is by dying to the desires of our soul (mind, emotions, will) that want to keep us separate and independent from God and living by the unction of our own force of will. We each have a mind, a heart and a will. Dying to self is dying to every thought, every emotion, every act of will that exalts itself above the knowledge of God or the will of the Father. That is how we crucify ourselves. Many have been saved by Christ’s work on the Cross, but not many live for Christ. They live for self. Which is to live for what their soul desires. We can only live for Christ if we die to self. Which is why Jesus gives us a choice to pick up our cross and follow Him.

We don’t stay there on the cross and die like Him. We follow Him WITH our cross. We take it WITH us. For every moment thereafter. Which is why it’s called a “LIVING sacrifice”. It’s a CHOICE He gives us. Which is why He says many are called but few are chosen. Only those who chose to pick up the cross are those who make not just their calling but also their election sure (2 Peter 1:10). So whilst we live for self, we produce fruit of that life. But in John 12:24 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat, having fallen into the ground, should die, it abides alone; but if it should die, it bears much fruit.” The much fruit it bears are the nine fruits of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23. Which is a different fruit from what we produce if we live for self. We can only produce the fruit of the Spirit if we die to self, which is to die to our soul lives. And if we produce the fruit of the Spirit, we prove we love Jesus for we have laid our lives down for our Friend.

Jesus says that He will know those who are His own by their fruit. We will all be known by our fruit. One way or the other. Whether it’s the fruit of self or the fruits of the Spirit. So yes, if we are to prove our love for Jesus, we need to not only die for Him (die to self, crucify ourselves), but also live for Him, which is to produce fruit of the Spirit. Which is to live AND walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). Those who have only come to Christ for salvation, are those who LIVE in the Spirit. But those who “live for Christ”, not self, are those who also WALK in the Spirit, which is to produce the fruit of the Spirit. And these are the bride of Christ. For they are those who not only have faith IN Christ (saved) but who are faithful TO Christ in that salvation.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be all the honour and all the glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17).