I love the hymn, “A New Creature” by L. O. Sanderson. I particularly love the phrase in the words that teach us something of what it means to be “dead to sin,” where we sing, “Satan may call, the world may entreat me; there is no voice that answers within.” What a blessed feeling it is to be covered by Christ’s righteousness, to be encouraged by His Spirit to live our days becoming like Him! As we do this, we actually do come to the realization that there truly IS NO VOICE THAT ANSWERS WITHIN US to the lurid things that Satan and this world throw at us! If we are feeding our souls with the Word of God daily, living daily in a state of prayerful communication with the Father, through Jesus, worshiping the Lord God with the fellowship of His children, praising Him regularly, being encouraged by this fellowship with Christ and with His body, there is very little room left for the temptation to grow in our hearts to succumb to the call of the dark side of this world. How blessed we are!!
Col. 3:1-4 is such a reassuring passage to our walk, and it holds an important “key” to growing this heart within us that can exclaim “there is no voice that answers within!” Praise His Name! And that key is to “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God! Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ, in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory!”
Have you and I given serious thought to what it means when it says ‘for you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God?” How awesome is that?! To me it means that Christ hides me and my imperfections so that God sees Him rather than me! He took that hit for me at the cross and continues to take it for each one of us who have been raised with Him! Again, praise His holy Name!!
I rejoice to sing: “Buried with Christ, my blessed Redeemer, dead to the old life of folly and sin. Satan may call, the world may entreat me; there is no voice that answers within! Dead to the world, to voices that call me, living anew, obedient but free! Dead to the joys that once did enthrall me. Yet tis not I: Christ liveth in me!”
Oh heavenly Father, thank You!! Thank You for your enduring love that sent your only Son to the cross to become righteousness for me and for all those who believe in Him as your Son, and willingly go into the watery grave from which they are raised with Him! Raised to live out this life hidden by His righteousness!! Praise your Holy Name, Father, for such a loving, sacrificial provision for our rescue from sin! In Jesus precious name, Amen.
Jan McCoy
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