“The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.”
Romans 6:10
When I was first paralyzed in the hospital, I kicked a girlfriend out of my room and screamed, “Don’t come back!” I’d like to think my rage was drug-induced or related to the pain of rejuvenating nerves. That’s what I’d like to think. But no, I really said those awful words. And a lot more.
When the pain began to ease, I realized that I was mostly angry at God. But how could I strike out at someone who was invisible? How could I punch someone in the nose who wasn’t there? Since I could not get at God directly, I settled for the next best thing: I got at Him through people — whether the friend who preached a little too heavily by my bedside, or the clumsy nurse who banged a bedpan against the guardrail. I spit venom at God whenever I railed at them.
I discovered that the all-powerful God had an odd place of vulnerability: His people, His body. We may not be able to crucify God (really?!), but we can crucify a part of His body with our cutting words.
So before you strike out at a fellow believer, remember that anger against another is ultimately anger against God. Please, may it never be! You and I don’t have to strike out at the Lord, because we already have. Our sin impaled Him on the cross and we would never do that to Him again. You don’t need to hammer the nails into His body anymore.
One Crucifixion is enough.
Lord Jesus, I praise You for having died to sin once for all. One Crucifixion is enough. That means Your power frees me from sin, and I am at liberty to love every member in Your body, every sister and brother in Christ. Rather than hurting You by hurting others, help me to love You by serving others.
