Let us take another example. You come home from work exhausted after an eight-hour day. Your wife has been home taking care of all the children; she too is worn out. The stage is set for friction. If you walk in the door and do not say anything, she will be offended. She will want to know why you are so calm, or what you are afraid of. If you walk in and say “Praise the Lord!” that will offend her too. How come you had such a good day while she has been home suffering?
On the other hand, she on her part may be wondering how to greet you when you get home. She does not know if you will be in a good mood or depressed. This is a common situation we face all the time as human beings. How do we as Christians handle it? “Lord, thank You You are with me. When my husband gets home, You have to be the One who meets him. Be the One who lives in me. I don’t want to live myself. I want to live Your life. I want to express You in my living.”
There is no need to figure out how you will meet your husband or wife at the end of the day. Practice, rather, to live Christ. I have been doing so for many years. To tell the truth, it is not easy. We are buried under the layers of our culture, religion, and spiritual seeking. We must turn away from these distractions, no longer caring for religion, philosophy, ethics, and human virtues.
Why do we need to fellowship with the Lord? Why do we need to have fellowship with the saints? Why do we need to come to the meetings? Why do we need to have the church life? All these things prepare a good environment for us to live Christ. If we want plants to grow, for example, they must have the proper soil, water, and light. With the right atmosphere, the plants will flourish. For our growth in Christ, for our help in living Christ, we need Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and the meetings. With these providing the atmosphere, we are encouraged to remain in the spirit, contacting the Lord.
As you converse with Him, open, prepared, and available, He will work in you, speaking and reacting. He will be living through you and expressing Himself through you. You and He, He and you, will have one life and one living. You will take Him as your life, and He will have you for His living. He is your life within; you are His living without.
This kind of life should not be occasional or accidental. This must be our regular life from morning till evening. Remain in Him. Do not be distracted by the mood of those around you. Keep focused on Him, conversing with Him. This is the Christian life.
Do remember well that the basic revelation of the Scriptures is the Triune God dispensing Himself into the tripartite man that He may be man’s life and that man may be His living as His corporate expression. This is the vine and the branches revealed in John 15.
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