Alive with Jesus! from "His Kindness Year Round"

As I was reading the Word a couple of months ago before the Resurrection season, I truly began to ponder the thought of dying to sin and living with Christ in me.

The Son became man, died, was resurrected, and before ascending into heaven, He left us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I think we fairly well grasp that concept.

At that time, over two months ago, I was resting and praying.  I closed my eyes and tried to visualize physically dying, upon a cross. 

Although alone, in the quiet, with my eyes closed, and no distractions, I still had difficulty at first truly focusing on what I was trying to do.  After many attempts, I was able to take in what I wanted to achieve.

I envisioned myself, hung to a cross.  I wore an over sized off-white gown, made of some gauze like material.  My head hung down.  I slowly looked to the left, and saw huge, dirty nails breaking through my palm.  Then, I began to see blood drip from my hand.

I slowly turned to my right hand, also nailed to the cross.  That hand also began to drip blood. 

Then I looked down at my body, and my feet, which were nailed to the wood.  The blood began to drip . . . . . I could feel the piercings of something sharp on my head, scratching my scalp and face, and blood began to trickle down my face and gown. I tried to sense the agony of pain our Savior suffered.

I hung my head, and wearily cried out to God for help. 

Immediately, I looked again at my body.  There was no blood.  There were no nails in my hands or feet.  My gown was once again clean.  Because Jesus really did die and take upon Himself the agony and acceptance of sin for us, I am clean.  Because He died for my body and spirit, His spirit is in me.

Romans 6:1-14

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His.  For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Humbly, your sister in Him,

Robin