20 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. -- Galatians 2:20

NO LONGER I (Galatians 2:20)

Self-centered living is an epidemic in our day. At every turn we are being spoon-fed messages that promote the ideology of "I". From Burger King, "Have it your way, YOU rule" to personalized social media feeds, it is easy to make life all about us.Galatians 2:20 offers an alternative. In fact, it tells us that the self-centered Paul was given a funeral. Verse 20 states, I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The old Paul was crucified with Christ. Life is not longer about the selfish Paul, it is about Jesus.The phrase "Have been crucified" is literally "I have been crucified and I am being crucified with Christ". It is a one-time event and it is an on-going event. Instead of choosing self-actualization or self-fulfillment the call of Christ is self-denial. It is no longer about our desires but it about Jesus.The reality is the message we receive from the world is much different than the message we receive from Jesus:

World: “Follow your heart.”Jesus: “Follow me.”World: “Believe in yourself.”

Jesus: “Believe in me.”

World: “Discover yourself.”

Jesus: “Deny yourself.”

World: “Be true to you.”

Jesus: “Be true to me.”

Today, the challenge is not to follow your heart, but to follow Jesus. Not to be true to yourself but to be true to Jesus. It declare with your life that it is no longer about you but it is about Jesus. We live this way not because it makes our lives better but because Jesus is better than life.