“Death Becomes Us”
By Jeannine Sawall
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus!”
Romans 6:11
I love fall. It is one of my favorite seasons. I love the crisp, cool air that greets you in the morning. It is refreshing to me after the long, hot days of summer. I love the pumpkins and hay bales signaling the beginning of harvest. But most of all, I love the vibrant colors of fall; the brilliant reds, the bright yellows, the soothing rusts and browns. It’s as if God reaches down from heaven with a paintbrush and with the stroke of a master painter, changes the landscape with each pass of the brush.
As I was driving along - - thinking about how beautiful the trees are in their autumn splendor and how I love the landscape of colors - - I began thanking the Lord for His wonderful creation. My mind wondered why He created the trees to have leaves with more beauty as they are dying than in life as they are growing. As I continued driving, the Lord impressed the thought upon me that I have more beauty in death as well. I first thought of my physical death, and how my glorified body and spirit would be released from the ugliness of sin. Further down the road, though, another thought came to my mind. The more I die to self, the more of Christ lives in me. The more Christ lives in me, the more glory He receives…and the more beautiful my life becomes to God in my obedience to Him. That is what the Lord was trying to show me: Death becomes us!
As we enjoy the beauty of autumn, the Lord has given us a physical reminder of how death becomes us. We need the reality of “death to self.” As we die to our own will, Christ fills us up and we are able to live more completely for Him and experience the full blessing of His glory. God wants our hearts and minds to be filled with His holy qualities. Allowing Him to become more and we to become less, transforms our lives. As our lives are transformed, we project the colors of Christ’s beauty and holiness, letting the world around us know Him through us. Our “real life” in Christ begins when we die to our “old life.”
GOING DEEPER:
1. What type of colors are you showing to the world around you? Do they see Jesus in your actions and character?
2. What area in your life might you have trouble giving over to Jesus? Ask Him to help you lay down whatever it is so that you can have more of Him and less of you.
FURTHER READING:
Galatians 2:20; Zechariah 4:6; Romans 8:5-8
Jeannine is a wife and active mother of four boys. She works in property management and is a part of the Special Events team for Oakwood’s We Women ministries.
