Pearls from the Cross 83.

Yes, it is true that we are called to live for Jesus. The meaning of the statement is dying for our sin. We have received salvation from the cross, which we receive by His grace. And Paul says, after receiving Christ it is time for a life of action. Only then, a person starts living for God.

The importance of Baptism, the symbol of us receiving the new life, is described by Paul in Romans 6 verses 4 and 5. We ought to receive baptism when we are with clear understanding and taking the decision to follow Christ with our own mind. By doing that, we are dying for Christ and living for Him. We shouldn't be ashamed of it as any religious duty or man-made practice. Most importantly, this is not about joining a denomination. It is from God. It should be done for the sake of living for Christ. By doing so, we are leaving our old self at the feet of the cross and walking as a Freeman.

Only those who were once in darkness know the value of light. The Bible says, all of us were sinners and all of us are in need for salvation, all of us deserve a free life, a life that is freed from darkness. Paul strictly asks us to dedicate our bodies unto God. In Romans 6 verse 12, he says, Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies, so that you obey the desires of your natural self. We are not now slaves to sin to obey it. We are rulers in Christ to overpower it. Stay strong, my friend, take the authority that you have over sin in your hand. You are a new man or woman in Christ. You are not a slave to sin but the son or the daughter of the Most High, Most holy God.

Dear God, thank you for the truths you have given us in the Bible. May we live as free men and women. May we walk in power and authority that comes through the name of Christ. May we never dare to talk or think ill of a baptism that is taken from a clear consciousness of a person by himself. May we live according to our calling in Christ. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.