Acts 17:28 "For in Him we live and move and have our being"

            Philippians 3:8 " Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him not having my own righteousness...but that which is through Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings..."

    My life is in Christ and knowing Him as my Lord and Savior.  In him  I "live and move and have my being."  My life is not in my own attempt at righteousness, for without Christ in me I have no righteousness of my own.  My life is not about performing or putting on a mask to be acceptable to others or to God.  My life is not in the things I do or don't do. My life is not in titles I might be given, or the amount of money in my bank account. My life is not in my state of health and fitness. My life is not in the relationships I have.  My life is not in the home I have, the car I drive or any of the things I own.  My life is in Christ!  The Scripture says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory!"

Its so opposite of what the world says.  The world says our value or our life is in these tangible things.  The Bible says these things will all pass away, but one question will remain:  is my life in Christ?  Have I surrendered the driver's seat of my life to Him and submitted to His ways instead of conforming to the ways and comforts of the world?

As I have gone through various trials of life in my almost 60 years of life, and as I am currently even going through a bit of a trial after surgery that is pressing on my patience and frustration buttons, deep down I have an abiding peace.  Why?  Because of God's presence in my life I know that my life is secure in Christ and the grace He has extended to me. I do not have to fear the loss of anything because "indeed I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ."  This is not mental gymnastics.  This is a real, living, vibrant relationship with Jesus.  One where he loves me, comforts me, guides me, teaches me,
equips me, walks with me, sits with me,  has compassion for me, disciplines me, cares for me, provides for me and much more!

A life in Christ is one where we can have peace because we have his presence for anything that may come against us in this life.  I think of Joni Eareckson Tada and how as a young girl she had a diving accident that left her without the use of her hands or legs and yet her life was in Christ and she has had an amazing life of inspiration and help those who suffer many kinds of losses.  If her loss of the use of her limbs were not enough, she also struggled through various other health issues including double pneumonia and breast cancer!  But her response?  She glorified Christ for the life she has in Him and all that He has done in and through her to bring many into the family of God!  She travels, paints, writes, sings and encourages and speaks and God has blessed her in many ways even in the midst of her "loss". 

Lord that I might learn to keep in focus where my life truly is.  My life abides in YOU.
Strengthen me when the storms of life come to trust in what you have spoken to me through Romans 8:38

"For  I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor anything present nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus."

He is my life.