I Can't Live!

“I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
— Galatians 2:20

It never ceases to amaze me, the many ways God speaks to us. A flower. A sunset. A quiet moment. A busy street. A grand accomplishment. A heart-wrenching tragedy. The warm embrace of true love and the loss of the same. A word from a friend. The kindness of a stranger. Children at play. Men at war. A painting. A book. A song. In every moment, the Lord is speaking to us. But are we listening?

I was driving down the road, flipping through the radio stations, when I heard an old familiar song. The song is “With or Without You” by U2. It is not a “Christian” song, and I have never understood the lyrics. I decided to listen carefully to the lyrics and try to figure out the song’s meaning once and for all. I listened and I thought. Listened and thought. And when my thinker was tired, I knew two things: I had no idea what the song meant, but I knew the message that God was sharing with me.

The lyrics state: “And you give yourself away / With or without you / With or without you / I can’t live / With or without you.”

Those words captured me. I quickly grasped the first of the message – “And you give yourself away.” “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son…” (John 3:16, NIV) I just as readily grasped the end of the message – “I can’t live . . . without you." ". . . at that time you were without Christ . . . having no hope without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12)

It was that middle part that had me stumped. I knew God was sharing a message with me. I readily accepted the fact that He gave Himself for me, and I cannot truly live without Christ. Which means I would have to live with Him, right? But the song God was using to share with me His message says, “I can’t live. . .WITH or without you.” As I pondered these thoughts, God began to share with me His truth. It was overwhelming.

God has not established partnership with us. He has not created a co-op. He has not asked us to come and live with Him. He has asked us to ABIDE. We are to find our life IN Him. We cannot co-exist with Him, because we have no life to add to the relationship. We cannot live WITH Him, we can only live IN Him.

The bible makes this clear in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” In Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.” And again in Philippians 1:21, “for to me, to live is Christ.”

How contrary that is to our modern way of thinking. We run around with bumper stickers that read, “God is my co-pilot.” Bracelets that ask, “What would Jesus do?” Both reduce Christ to the role of acting advisor and deny the reality of His life in us. Both are saying, “I am willing to consult with God before I act.” Yet, the real question is, “Am I willing submit and allow Christ to live through me in this moment?”

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. What does U2’s song mean? I don’t know and don’t really care. In the moment I heard the song, the Lord had a message for me. He was sharing with me that He gave Himself for me, because I could not live without Him, and I cannot live with Him. I can only live IN Him. True life is His life pouring through me.

It was a timely message for me. How about you? Are you trying to “live with Christ”? Or are you resting IN Him? Are you allowing His life to pour through you?

“Now may the God of peace. . . make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.