Royal Exchange
ROYAL EXCHANGE
Gal.2:20(KJV) "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me."
2 Cor.5:15(KJV) "And that he died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which
died for them, and rose again."
When a person migrates to a completely strange country,in order
to adapt he or she needs to exchange his or her 'old' lifestyle
with the 'new' lifestyle. The 'old' lifestyle belongs to the
'former' country while the 'new' lifestyle belongs to the 'new'
country. When a person comes to Christ and receives him as
personal Lord and Saviour,he or she becomes a new person(2
Cor.5:17)known as a son of God(John 1:12-13)who is now
'migrated' into a new and completely different nation known as
the kingdom of God(John 3:3-8;Col.1:13). It is only in the
kingdom of God that one's divine destiny can be fulfilled! But
there should be a complete exchange of 'lifestyle' for this to
be a possibility! Both lifestyles are not compatible(Gal.5:17).
The real exchange can only take place through the Lord who is
the King of the kingdom therefore it is a 'royal exchange'. This
is very crucial for divine destiny to be fulfilled.
Divine destiny is what or who God has called one to be as an
individual,family,community,or nation. It is designed by God to
be revealed,pursued,and fulfilled in God's own way,not Man's
way(Isa.55:8-9). Mankind has tried to use the power of
imagination(Gen.11:6) and/or occult(Deut.18:9-14) using human
strength and/or wisdom(Eccl.9:11). This is the 'old' lifestyle
that needs to be exchanged with the new when a person enters the
kingdom of God.
It is when a Christian holds onto or goes back to the 'old'
lifestyle that the fulfillment of divine destiny is sabotaged.
The human body is the earthen vessel(2 Cor.4:7) which contains
the human spirit and soul(Heb.4:12). For every Christian,it is
also the temple of God:-
1 Cor.6:19-20(KJV) "What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own?" "For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's."
The temple of God built by King Solomon(Acts 7:47) was called
'an house of sacrifice' by the Lord himself:-
2 Chron.7:12(KJV) "And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night,
and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this
place to myself for an house of sacrifice." A sacrifice is
something precious that one can offer to God:-
2 Sam.24:24(KJV) "And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I
will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer
burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me
nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for
fifty shekels of silver."
The most important sacrifice that a Christian can offer to the
Lord is not his or her praises(Heb.13:15) or money(2 Cor.9:7)
but his or her body. According to the old lifestyle,mankind has
handled the human body in two extremes,one is
narcissism(Phil.3:19) and the other is ascetism(Col.2:23). For
the Christian,feastings and fastings are done to the glory of
God just like all other things(1 Cor.10:31). But according to
the new lifestyle,it is to be handled in God's way as a
sacrifice to him:-
Rom.12:1-2(KJV) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
When this sacrifice is made,it is a proof of one's
faith,obedience,humility,and love!
Since the body is considered to be God's temple(1 Cor.3:16) the
Christian is exhorted to effect the royal exchange that will
ensure the fulfillment of divine destiny:-
Eph.4:22-24(KJV) "That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts;" "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;"
"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness."
Col.3:9-10(KJV) "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his deeds; " "And have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that
created him:"
'The old man' is the embodiment of 'the self life' while 'the
new man' is the embodiment of 'the Christ life'(Gal.2:20;2
Cor.5:15). As the Christian 'puts and keeps off' the old man and
'puts and keeps on' the new man the body becomes a showcase of
'the Christ life'. Part of the royal exchange is the renewal of
the mind with the word of God(Eph.4:23). 'The Christ life' is
the only kind of life that fulfills divine destiny. 'The Christ
life' in any Christian does not destroy his or her uniqueness
but enhances the latter to the glory of God! This secret is
available for the benefit of every Christian alive today so as
to fulfill divine destiny to the glory of God! Anyone can become
a Christian today by repenting from sin and receiving Jesus
Christ the Son of God as personal Lord and Saviour.