The shortest route to the growth in life is simply to take Christ as our person. Concerning the experience of the growth in life, we have spent decades trying to find a short route but with only limited success. Now, however, we know that the shortest route is to take Christ as our person. If we had known of this way twenty years ago, we would have been able to help countless brothers and sisters. In those days many sisters came to me to ask how they should deal with their difficult husbands, and I would spend much time and effort to instruct and help them. Sometimes I would advise them, saying, “Sister, you should realize that God has arranged your circumstances very well. You need your husband very much. He is the best husband for you, and even his temperament is the most suitable for you. You should be patient and accept the environment that the Lord arranged for you.” At other times I would say, “This situation is a sweet cross that the Lord has given you. Your dear husband may seem like a difficult cross to bear, but if you receive this situation from the Lord, you will receive life from it.” I learned this response from Madame Guyon, and sometimes it was effective, but often it was not. Today if a sister comes to me about her husband, I say, “Sister, simply take your husband as your person! Even if he is odd, just take his person as your person. There is no need to try to be patient or to take up the cross. Simply take him as your person by taking the Lord as your person.”
I have followed the Lord in different ways for many years, and there has always been some benefit from my practices. However, today I simply take Christ as my person. I never bother to ask the Lord, “May I go to this place?” I only ask, “Lord, are You going to this place?” When a sister goes to the department store to buy a dress, she should not ask, “Lord, may I buy this dress?” When she picks up a dress, she should ask, “Lord, do You like this dress?” The purchase of a dress should not be related merely to the Lord’s permission but to the Lord’s preference.
I really do not want to speak too much concerning matters between husbands and wives, but sometimes it is unavoidable. Consider the matter of clothing. A sister who desires to be a good wife will ask her husband about a dress and say, “If you do not like it, I will not wear it.” Sometimes, however, a husband and wife will argue over what she should wear, because the wife likes a particular dress, but the husband does not. After arguing for a while, the wife may agree to not wear it, but in her heart she still wants to wear it. This situation exposes our real situation with the Lord, because the Bible often compares the relationship between a husband and wife to our relationship with the Lord. Although the sisters acknowledge that their husband is the head, sometimes an inner bitterness remains. Similarly, we also do not have a sweet taste when we “submit” to the Lord. May the Lord have mercy on us so that we can take the shortest way by taking Christ as our person. This is not a matter of receiving the Lord’s permission but a matter of knowing His preferences as a person. We are crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live, but it is Christ who lives in us (Gal. 2:20). Hence, to us, to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21).
If we really take Christ as our person, we will mature very quickly, and it will hasten the Lord’s return. In addition, our meetings will be full of the riches because our living is Christ. Since taking Christ as our person is the reality by which we live and for which we work, we will also worship God according to this reality. I absolutely believe that the Lord will work in us to this extent. If we are not willing to take this short route, the Lord may look for someone else. Nevertheless, I believe that the Lord’s grace is still with us and that He will take us on in a direct and quick way. In these days we do not need old religion, old doctrines, old ways, or old ordinances; we only need Christ as our person. As long as we learn to live in the spirit, taking Christ as our person, we will reach the stage of living Christ.