If we receive the riches of Christ by pray-reading the Word, it will not be necessary for us to decide to do good or to improve ourselves. Spontaneously we shall live Christ. We shall live a life full of the basic elements of Christ’s riches. In our living there will be divinity, humanity, the experience of Christ’s death, and the strengthening in His resurrection life. To live in this way is to hold forth the word of life and to magnify Christ.
Furthermore, I wish to point out that there is no need for us to make up our minds to magnify Christ. When some hear messages on living Christ and magnifying Him, they may say, “From now on I shall magnify Christ. I shall magnify Him at home, at work, and wherever I may be. Oh, Lord, I ask You to help me to magnify You.” Instead of making this kind of decision and praying in this way, simply come to the Word, to the embodiment of the riches of Christ and of the bountiful supply of the Spirit. As you feed on the Word in a proper way day by day, you will grow. The flesh, the natural man, the self, and different evil tendencies and intents will be dealt with. The bountiful supply of the Spirit embodied in the Word taken by pray-reading will accomplish this work. Furthermore, Christ’s resurrection life will release the divine riches into you, strengthen your spirit, and edify your whole being. Spontaneously, unconsciously, and automatically you will live Christ. Living Christ in this way is equal to holding forth the word of life. As you live Christ, having a daily life full of divinity, humanity, Christ’s human living, death, and the fragrance of His resurrection, you will magnify Christ. This is what it means to live Christ by the riches of the bountiful supply of the Spirit embodied in the Word.
Day by day we should come to the right source—to the Word as the embodiment of the riches of Christ. As we pray-read the Word, these riches will become to us the all-inclusive and bountiful supply of the Spirit. Let us come to the Word every day to pray-read, to eat and absorb the riches of Christ. By pray-reading we shall receive the riches embodied in the Word.
Although I do not know very much about the composition of the physical food I eat each day, I have been eating for more than seventy years. As far as food is concerned, the important thing is not to know—it is to receive the food into our bodies by eating. Then all the elements and ingredients of the food will come into us and function within us to nourish us, strengthen us, build us up, and to kill the germs. Then we shall be healthy and have a proper daily life. As we have pointed out, the same is true of the Christian life. The Christian life is not a life of ethics, religion, culture, or even morality. The Christian life actually is Christ Himself, who is higher than the highest ethics or the top morality. If we are to live a proper Christian life, God desires that we realize that we have been born of Him and are now His children. As members of Christ, we possess the divine life with the divine nature. Furthermore, we have the Spirit and the Word, the means to receive the divine transmission. Daily we must come to the Word with a praying spirit to receive both the riches of Christ and the bountiful supply of the Spirit. Nourished by the Word in this way, we shall grow and spontaneously live a life full of all the different elements of Christ’s riches. In our living there will be an uplifted humanity, the operation of Christ’s wonderful death, and the fragrance and power of His resurrection. All the negative things within us—the flesh, the self, and the natural life— will be nullified. Then we shall hold forth the word of life. This is the magnification of Christ.
I praise the Lord and thank Him for showing us this way to take the Word. This is the biblical way, the way of life. How marvelous that the Triune God has wrought Himself into us and has also given us His holy Word without and His Spirit within! Now we can come to the Word and by exercising our spirit receive the riches embodied in the Word and apply the all-inclusive Spirit to our whole being. Then we shall live Christ.