Continuing the theme of contemporary hymns comes, "Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me," by CityAlight. It is a beautifully crafted song which celebrates Jesus as our ultimate provision and highlights our continual dependence on Him.

Prior to faith conversion, we were enamored with pleasing ourselves because we were living independently from God. Every decision we made catered to our fleshly desires because the Holy Spirit was not dwelling within us. For just as Jesus' disciples experienced, the Holy Spirit enters the heart post-conversion to those who place their eternal hope and trust in Him.

"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1–4).

The significance of God anointing His followers with the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit illuminates His Word in our hearts so we can discern the decisions we make in life and ultimately choose whom we will serve. For without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our interaction with the Spirit of God is external at best.

In other words, the Spirit convicts us of sin in a general sense and draws us unto salvation through repentance. However, we are truly made alive and born-again when God supernaturally implants His Spirit directly into our hearts post-conversion.

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezekiel 36:26–27).

New life in Christ is the most exciting decision a human can experience, but it also comes with difficult challenges because though we are adults in the flesh, we are infants in Christ. That is why Scripture teaches, "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:1–3).

We tend to assume God mends our broken hearts when we accept Jesus Christ unto salvation, but that is not the case. Rather, He performs open heart surgery by removing our old, selfish hearts and replacing them with new ones designed to help us live for righteousness rather than foolishness.

However, our hearts require time to heal immediately after surgery as they learn to function properly, which is no different literally vs. spiritually. For just as rehabilitation is necessary for a patient who has received a heart transplant, so too will we require rehabilitation to learn how to walk with Christ in submission to His authority and obedience to His Word. The process of spiritual regeneration begins with new life in Christ because He died to set us free from the chains of sin which bind us.

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4–7).

If not for grace our lives would be hopeless and completely lost, for no material wealth or measure of success could ever fill the unquenchable void in our hearts if Jesus had not come down from heaven and taken our place on the cross of judgment. It is a powerful reminder to reflect upon the cross in that way, for over time we have transformed the cross into a symbol of love and almost desensitized it in the Gospel story.

I'm certainly not intending to minimize the sacrifice Jesus made out of His immeasurable love for us. However, if we remove our rose-covered glasses, we would be remiss to misconstrue the cross for anything other than a symbol of wrath and God's impending judgment.

Keep in mind, Jesus suffered and died upon a hand-hewn, rugged piece of solid timber which raked against his torn flesh and held the weight of His body upon 3-4 iron nails, 7-9 inches in length, till eventually he died of asphyxiation.

Crucifixion was arguably the most extreme form of punishment and torture the Roman Empire had ever conceived at the time, and according to AllAboutJesusChrist.org, was specifically calculated to produce the most pain, agony and anguish possible to its victim when nailed to a cross.

Make no mistake, love was the reason Jesus willingly accepted crucifixion, but the cross was the means by which God's wrath was poured out, not the manifestation of love itself.

"Not all crucifixions were carried out in the same way; some victims were tied to the cross while others were nailed. Jesus was nailed. He was made to carry the cross-bar to the place of His execution. The upright post (stipe) was a permanent fixture. The crossbar (patibulum) was always carried to the location, not the complete cross as is often depicted.

When Jesus got to the place of His execution, He was placed on His back with His arms outstretched. The nails were first driven through small wooden disks to eliminate any chance of the heads pulling through the flesh. The site of the incision in the arm was critical; the Romans had perfected the procedure, a very specific procedure.

The legionnaire who had been given the task felt for a specific spot, the nail had to be driven in-between the bones of the forearm up close to the wrist while not severing any major arteries or veins. There is a space between eight small bones which is structurally suitable to permit a full body weight to be supported for a time. If the nails had been driven into the palms of the hands, under the extreme weight, they would have ripped out between the fingers.

First, a nail would have been driven into His arm on one side, and then the other. The legionnaire would make sure that His arms were not pulled too tightly, allowing flexion and movement. With this done, the patibulum was then raised and affixed to the stripe. The next stage involved the nailing of the feet; this was also a deliberate action.

The third nail had to be driven through both feet, which were turned outward so the nail could be hammered inside the Achilles tendon. With His knees slightly flexed Jesus was now crucified. As He slowly sagged down, He would have tried to support His weight with the muscles of His legs, an impossible position to maintain.

In some cases, the victims' legs were broken, so that they couldn't support themselves in this way. Eventually more and more weight was placed upon the nails. The method the Romans had perfected ensured that crucifixion victims would hang painfully until their diaphragm went into spasm and they literally suffocated to death."

It is almost unfathomable to wrap our minds around these kinds of gruesome details, but in many ways gives us better understanding regarding how gracious a gift salvation truly is. It is impossible to listen to "Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me" without proper perspective of the sacrifice Jesus made, for this is a very personal song of inspiration dependent on the knowledge of what He truly endured to take our place at the judgment seat of God.

Therefore, we must allow the Holy Spirit to stir our hearts with every word of each passing verse as we remember the extreme act of love required to ransom our souls from the depths of hell. Sadly, the prideful and ignorant fools of this world scoff at the notion they even need saving to begin with, but the day will inevitably come when every man, woman, and young adult must give account and accept the eternal fate God hands down in judgment.

Jesus said, "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:36–37). Therefore, let us be quick to publicly acknowledge our faith in Jesus and live according to His Word.

For there is nothing more regretful this side of heaven than a heart hardened toward receiving the absolute truth of Scripture, yet countless souls we interact with each day deny they even need salvation and are ultimately destined for hell because they have rejected God's truth for a lie. It is no different than the warning Solomon gave concerning the schemes of an adulteress: 

"With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death" (Proverbs 7:21–27).

This is certainly not how I intended to write this personal reflection, for I typically use song verses as an inspirational starting point for whatever deeper message the Holy Spirit inspires. Throughout my writing process, I attempt to write with only one goal in mind: "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Therefore, the more I began to write this particular reflection, the more I realized this song speaks for itself, for the ebbs and flows of life from mountain high to valley low are beautifully painted throughout, without any need to explain them.

There is only one message that matters in the end and that is summarized in the title of the song itself: "Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me." Assuming our good works play any role in the saving work of Jesus diminishes and devalues the torture and execution He experienced on our behalf. Therefore, we simply cannot allow our minds to believe such foolishness.

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised" (2 Corinthians 5:14–15).

When I listen to the words of this song and reflect upon God's provision, celebrated in each lyrical stanza, I am reminded of what happened when Jesus breathed His last. "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split" (Matthew 27:50–51).

Up until that moment, the presence of God (holy of holies) resided within the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle in Jerusalem. It was covered by a veil and completely cut off from everyone except the high priest, who entered only once a year on Yom Kippur, to offer the blood of sacrifice and incense as atonement for the nation of Israel.

Up until that point, God's presence was kept separate from the people. But when Jesus died, God's presence was released when the veil was torn, foreshadowing Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on those who placed their eternal faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Our entire journey of faith is dependent on what happened at the cross of Calvary, which culminated at the empty tomb when Jesus resurrected from the grave. His death gave us opportunity for new life and the assurance of knowing our eternal resting place is secure if we surrender our lives to His authority.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Make no mistake, Paul endured persecution, harassment, flogging, imprisonment, and even shipwreck for proclaiming the name of Jesus as the only way to eternal life. He suffered mightily in the flesh for the sake of the Gospel, but his ability to endure immeasurable hardships paled in comparison to the sacrifice Jesus made on his behalf (and ours).

Paul was a scholar of the Old Testament and likely clung to the words of the prophets for strength, wisdom and perspective, which inevitably enabled him to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ despite insurmountable pressure and persecution.

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places" (Habakkuk 3:17–19).

Similarly, from a posture of reverence and humility, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to endure whatever trials life throws our way because we know our time here on earth is temporary. Therefore, we have the ability to testify in the midst of a world determined to persecute and crucify us for our faith in Jesus, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling" (Psalm 46:1–3).

Our lives may not be adorned with blessings the world would recognize as intrinsically valuable, but we know our help and strength comes from the Lord and that His grace is sufficient at all times and in every circumstance. Therefore, may we proclaim with every semblance of humility in our being, "When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat: Yet not I, but through Christ in me!"