I was watching a sappy romance movie last night called “The Prince and Me”. It’s the tale of a regular girl named Paige who falls in love with one of her college classmates, Eddie. Lucky for her he turns out to be a Danish Prince in disguise. (How come this stuff never happens to me??)
So naturally she returns to Denmark with him and instantly becomes a princess. She still wants to maintain her previous life though and in one of the scenes Eddie’s mother the queen explains to her that she must now give up her life in service to the people. It went something like this:

Queen: Being royal requires you to sacrifice who you are for who you must be.
Princess: But I'm Paige Morgan from Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Queen: Well, Paige Morgan can no longer exist. She is gone.

As I started to think about this it reminded me of someone else who had to give up who he was to become royalty. In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul wrote "...and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."

As children of the King, the more like Christ we become the less of us there is. When people look at us they no longer see us but God shining through us. Just like Paige needed to put her old life behind her we must also put aside our desires and constant demands of the flesh and put on the mind of Christ. I’m not going to pretend like that’s an easy thing to do!
When you look in the mirror (past the wrinkles and gray hairs) what do you see?
I am still way off, but I hope to someday see Christ staring back at me.

No longer I, but Christ
I have my voice, but Jesus speaking.
Steps I take, but Christ is leading.
Two as one, our hearts are beating –
No longer I, but Christ.

My own eyes, but my Lord seeing.
His I serve, but God’s hands reaching.
My lungs fill with the grace he’s breathing –
No longer I, but Christ.

More of you and less of me,
That in my life it’s you they see.
This, my Lord, my prayer to Thee;
No longer I, but Christ in me.