Seasoned believers are familiar with the seminal verse found in Galatians chapter two:

“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.” The theme of this verse might be entitled, “The Exchanged Life.”

Most of the time we think that being crucified with Him has only to do with all the things we ought to give up. We focus on exchanging out the bad stuff for His good stuff. We trade our sin for His grace and mercy. His death is our substitute.

And that is very necessary and true!

But the power to live a “resurrected life” impacts much more than just saying no to our sin and all the temptations that go with it.

Charles Stanley wrote about Hudson Taylor and highlights this truth:

Hudson Taylor was a missionary in China during the mid-1800s. At one point, he felt overwhelmed with financial concerns, the responsibilities of running a mission, and the ever-increasing pile of mail awaiting his attention. All the letters he wrote to friends and family were filled with defeat and discouragement.

Seeing his need, a missionary friend wrote back to him, asking, “Hudson, when you think about Jesus, does He have a furrowed brow? Is He worried and anxious because He doesn’t know what’s going to happen next or if there will be enough money?” Then he added, “When your life becomes Jesus’ life, there’s no need to worry, because it will no longer be Hudson who bears the burdens but Jesus, and He’ll never be swamped by problems.”

God changed Hudson Taylor in that moment. His circumstances were the same; in fact, the problems became greater, but there was a difference in Taylor’s response. Whereas before he was fretting and wrestling, now he was resting in the Lord and trusting with a calm, quiet, and peaceful spirit. Those who knew him could discern the dramatic change.

Hudson’s change was THE exchange. When the Lord makes our hearts His dwelling place, we get to swap out our fears, frustrations, worries and concerns for His power, His peace and His direction.

So, this week, let’s be intentional about living out our exchanged life. Whatever is pressing on you, bundle it up and pass it over to Jesus!