You want to get the most out of life while on this earth. You know that one day you will die, but while earthbound you want to enjoy life to the fullest. You want to live life to the fullest.
It is surprising that the way to actually get the very best this life has to offer, that actually requires that the pursuit of happiness on earth does not yield satisfaction. George Anthony Mantle explains how to get the abundant life you desire while on earth: “There is a great difference between realizing, ‘On that cross He was crucified for me,’ and ‘On that cross I am crucified with Him.’ The one aspect brings us deliverance from sin’s condemnation, the other from sin’s power.”
It is important to know that Jesus died for your sins. This allows you entrance into heaven. On the other hand, to live life to its fullest on earth requires you to live above sin’s power while on earth. This means that you must you live to please Christ alone. To live to please Christ is what Mantle meant when he said, “On that cross I am crucified with Him.”
Scripture supports that philosophy. Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, puts it this way: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20). In a nutshell, this verse tells you that your life should be spent not doing the things that please you, but doing those things that are pleasing to Christ.
In order to really live while on earth requires that you not seek the pleasures of this world, but that you do those things that are pleasing to the Lord Jesus. To really live requires that you first die. You die to your wants and desires and live totally to well pleasing to Christ. There really is no more fulfilling way to live!
