David Yarbrough
Galatians 2:20 (CSB)
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
What is normal?
Dictonary.com defines normal as conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. What the world around you sees as usual, typical, or expected is outside the parameters of what the Kingdom of God views as "normal." And what is normal within the Kingdom of God is seen as abnormal in the world around you. Make no mistake about it; there is a silent war going on between the world around you and the Kingdom of God. We see these two kingdoms in conflict in Colossians 1:13, "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son."
Scriptures like Galatians 2:20 go against the very grain and nature of the world around us and fly in the face of everything that seems to be normal. Our flesh is naturally bent towards self-preservation and self-promotion. What the Bible considered normal faith is full of self-denial and humility. Paul made it clear in Galatians 2:20 that he did not live by his own power but by the power of Christ. It is Jesus who keeps everything in Kingdom order. It is our responsibility to put to death the sins and temptations that linger in our hearts (Rom. 8:13). We must realize that we are debtors to Jesus for the strength to do so. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, the Apostle Paul acknowledges that everything good within him was because of the grace of God: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."
In Daniel 2:26, Belteshazzar asked godly Daniel, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?” Daniel was quick to answer the king and turn the ability from himself to God: “But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries...” Just as rivers empty their streams again into the sea from which they were received, so godly people give their worship and praise of what they do to God, who enables them. Kingdom living is not about showcasing our own abilities or relying solely on our own strength. It is about surrendering ourselves to God, acknowledging our dependence on Him, and allowing His power to work through us.
When proud Nebuchadnezzar built Babylon, he was quick to praise himself and put himself on a pedestal. In Daniel 4:30, the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic glory?” Nebuchadnezzar made everything about himself. And this is exactly the struggle all of us are battling with our flesh. Our sin nature is always trying to convince us that everything is about "me, myself, and I." This battle is won through the self-denial of truly following Jesus (Lk. 9:23) and living the truth of Galatians 2:20. We cannot be "crucified with Christ" and continue to live for ourselves.
When we know our Kingdom purpose and our identity is found only in Christ Jesus, it is normal for us to blot out our own name, and only focus on lifting up the name of Jesus. It is normal to humble ourselves and exalt Christ Jesus, to go against the grain of this world and with the flow of the Kingdom. If we choose to live the normal Kingdom life, we will seem very abnormal to the watching world around us. But we can take heart in knowing that, by and large, what is valued in the Kingdom of God is not normal to the world.
John 16:33 (CSB)
I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”