"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
- Galatians 2:20

This is one of my favorite verses and probably one of the most overlooked verses in Christianity.  Sure, we've all heard this before and we all like this verse, but what does it really mean?  Have you ever stopped and actually concentrated on what those words are really saying?  Probably not, so I want you to do so right now, take a minute and reread this verse over and over and visualize this verse and what Paul is saying.

I don't think you can get a more vivid description of what it really means to be a Christian than this right here.  For me, when I close my eyes and picture this verse, I imagine being a thief on the cross next to Jesus.  Alright, but what does that really mean?

In America today, we are taught that we can be a "Christian" and still do the stuff that we've always done, that our lifestyles can be the same, the only difference is that we have "Jesus living inside of us."  WRONG!  Paul is saying that EVERYTHING about that old way of life is GONE, that our lives as Christians are not about us, but Christ in us.

What if we took this to heart?  What if we started living our lives as if we don't matter anymore, that our lives as Christians should be centered on Christ and doing His will?  I know it sounds churchy, but that's exactly what Jesus has called us to.  We are NOT saved by works, but our works show that we are saved.  If we are not living our lives for Christ, are we truly Christians?

Francis Chan said it like this:  "Luke warm people don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin...  Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better then the old sinful one."

So may you find that professing Christ isn't the point, the point is that we are called to be crucified with Christ, that our old, sinful way of living is over and that our purpose is to let Christ LIVE in us.