Welcome to the POG Blog! Today’s scripture reading makes an amazing practical application of the resurrection of Jesus,

Romans 6 ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

I think the phrase that grabs me most today is “ In the same way, count yourselves…”  So the apostle Paul is trying to tell me that the death and resurrection of Jesus has changed the way I “consider myself”,” look at myself”, ‘feel about myself”… in his words “count myself”!   Even today?

I noticed even this morning that my mindset - my frame of mind – as I enter the day really matters what kind of day I have and what kind of day the people around me have.  Paul is saying that the death and resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for me to “count myself” dead to sin but alive to God.  The resurrection means I get to be alive to God today.  I get to live in the power of the resurrection today by looking at myself and taking on the frame of mind as being “alive to God”.  It is as if I get to approach the moments of my day with the heart and mind attitude that says, “God I am open and available to follow You today, thank You for making it possible for me to be “alive” to You today.  Thank you for dying for me so I can count myself as “dead to sin” and thank you for resurrecting so I can “count myself” alive to You today.  I receive your Holy Spirit to live in me with the power and presence for me to be alive in You”!

Another thing  that grabs me about the way Paul talks about this is that he seems to realize that this ‘frame of mind” is not normal or natural for us – it is a miracle of God.  It is not our default to ‘count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God”!  That is good news because it helps me understand why it is so hard sometimes and why I must daily be intentional about doing life alive to God – or as we said last Sunday “Exceptionally Alive!”  The challenge of living with this frame of mind also leads me to lean on God to empower me by His Spirit.  His resurrection power alone can do this as it flows through me. 

I am both excited, challenged and comforted by the reality that today I get to live “exceptionally alive to God” in every aspect of my life today!

What do you think about this?  What is God saying to you today through this word?

delton