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| Photo by Geo Lightspeed 7 2022 |
I had a dream in which a famous philanthropist and author of many spiritual teachings had passed away. As he had lived his life as a recluse and had no known family, there was a worldwide search for next of kin who would be the heir of his vast estate.
I learned that an acquaintance of mine had a claim to the
inheritance. He was elderly, frail, and wheelchair-bound, so I transported him
to a public hearing where any relatives were asked to come forward. After I
wheeled his chair to the witness stand, he said that he was the
philanthropist’s son and had the documentation to prove it.
At first the lawyers scoffed at him, saying that the
philanthropist had never married and had no known children, and that as he was
old enough to be the philanthropist’s father, he certainly could not be his
son. But the documentation was indisputable, and the lawyers reluctantly
concluded that this invalid old man was the legitimate heir of all that the
philanthropist had possessed.
They began the philanthropist’s memorial service and had
prepared a tomb for his burial. I asked the old man if he had any personal
memento that he wished to have placed in the tomb.
To my surprise, he said, “My time has come, and I too must
die and be placed in the same tomb. But I bequeath the estate to you, and my
only request in return is that you live your life and continue your dance ministry in his honor.”
As I awoke and contemplated the symbolism of the dream, I
realized that the philanthropist was none other than Jesus Christ, Son of God
and God Himself!
Jesus of Nazareth had no earthly fortune, or even a place
to lay His head (Matthew 8:20). Yet He is the greatest Giver of
all time, for He suffered and gave His own life on the cross (John 15:13;
1 John 3:16) to pay our sin debt in full (Romans 3:25),
the price required for all those who trust in Him to have eternal life (John
3:16).
He wrote no books or even documents, yet His Word and
teachings changed the world and have been faithfully recorded by men of God
inspired by His Holy Spirit. Although word of His miracles and teachings spread
quickly, causing Him to be followed by large crowds, He did not seek out
publicity or worldly fame. Instead, He preferred to consult with His Father in
private, and to witness one-on-one to lost individuals like the Samaritan woman
at the well (John 4:1-43), the blind man whom He healed (John
9), and Nicodemus (John 3:1-21).
Jesus of Nazareth had an earthly mother (Mary) and siblings
(James, Joses, Simon and Judas; Matthew 13:55) but did not
consider them to be His family on that basis, reserving that title for His
followers who did God’s will (Mark 3:31-35). He never married and
had no biological children, yet all those who have trusted Him as their Lord
and Savior are adopted into His family as children of God (Romans 8:16-21).
I believe the old man in the dream represents the old sin
nature (Ephesians 4:22) that hinders our spiritual growth once we
are saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians
15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). I did not
consider the elderly gentleman to be my friend, but my acquaintance. Similarly,
I am familiar with who I was before I came to know Christ, and do not glorify
or condemn my former self, for despite my past, Christ Himself has forgiven my
sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
This “old man” fights against the “new man,” or new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) that we progressively
become by yielding to His Holy Spirit. To do this, the apostle Paul said that
we must “die daily,” mortifying the deeds and desires of our sinful flesh (1
Corinthians 15:31; Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5). Yet it
is amazing that Christ died for us while we were still His enemies, children of
the devil (Romans 9:8), and rebels against His Word and perfect
will.
To follow Him, we must take up His cross and be willing to
put the “old man” to death, so that we can no longer serve sin and instead be
raised to newness of eternal life (Romans 6:4-6). Then we can
truly share in Christ’s legacy of forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9),
peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), joy in His salvation (Habakkuk 3:18), being seated in heavenly places with
Him (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6), and fulfillment that comes from
doing His work (Ephesians 2:10), sharing His Word (Matthew
28:19-20), and submitting to His perfect will for our life (Luke
22:42).
As feeble as we are in our own flesh, He transforms us into
God’s children and His joint-heirs (Romans 8:16-21), betrothed (Revelation
19:9), friends (John 15:15), fellow-workers (1
Corinthians 3:9), and ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).
As unbelievable as this seems, it is clearly documented in God’s Word, giving
believers an undisputable claim to our inheritance in Christ.
Although baptism is not required for salvation, it is an
act of obedience symbolizing the new believer’s willingness to identify with
Christ’s crucifixion (standing upright in the water), burial (being plunged
beneath the water), and resurrection (being lifted up from the water) to new
life (Romans 6:4), in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost.
In the dream, the old man recognized that he needed to die
for my benefit and for God’s glory. He bequeathed his legacy to me as the new
creation in Christ, to use it for His glory and to continue serving Him and
living for Him.
Sadly, real life is not that simple, and we must daily war
against our flesh, equipping our spirit by putting on the whole armor of God before we enter spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18) against the
flesh, the world, and the devil. May we be willing to put the “old man” to
death daily so that the Holy Spirit can feed and grow the new creation we are
in Christ, using our inheritance for His glory!
© 2023 Laurie Collett
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| Photo by Geo Lightspeed 7 2022 |
