(a) a
hardworking servant that He can "use" to meet His goals?
(b) a child with blind faith, who obeys without ever
questioning?
(c) a friend or buddy who sees Him as lenient and only
loving?
(d) a faithful church member meeting needs in the
community
(e) a bride in union with Him, expressing His heart?
(f) a person who tries his best to do what Jesus would
do?
While all
of these may contain a truth, most of them imply that Jesus
is separate from us and we are trying to live "our" life to
the best of our ability, to look like Jesus. The trouble is
that the more we try to live the Christian life "for" Him,
the less we do. God came in the flesh to show us the answer
to the mystery of His desire.
Col
1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of
the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Only Jesus
Christ can live the Christian life. He came to give us
eternal life (not just a longer life, but His very life
living through our mortal bodies.) We are truly meant to be
vessels, containers for Him to live His life in union with
us. He didn't save us to say, "See you in heaven! Now do
your best in your own strength to figure out what I would do
if I were there!" This is separated thinking. Old Testament
believers may have attempted to earn their righteousness,
but eventually had to die to their own works and rely on the
faith of the Messiah. (Hebrews 11) The fruit and the love is
a person!
1 Cor
1:30-31 It is because of him that you are in Christ
Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is,
our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore,
as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the
Lord."
God
continually describes us as His Bride and our relationship
as a union. We grow from being babes, to servants, to
friends, but His passion is for a mature bride with whom He
can be in union: loving each other with our whole heart,
soul and body. Relationships are good, but only in "union"
is He able to put His life into us and reproduce. When we
are in union, His life in us will mature and give birth. The
bride cannot reproduce without a union - a "relationship"
alone still involves separation and will not bear fruit that
remains eternally.
John 15:5 ... "He who abides in Me, and I in him, he
bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."
Separated thinking begs God for the fruit, instead of
believing that Christ, who is the fullness of the Godhead
bodily, is IN US, is every fruit, gift or power we could
ever ask or think. Separated thinking feels a lack, a
scarcity, a gap between us and the power of God.
Wigglesworth said that the difference comes when we actually
believe the word of God! In Him, we have everything and can
do all things in Christ!
Eph
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who HATH blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ..... 1:4 we ARE holy and
blameless ..... 1:23 we ARE the fullness of Him who
fills all in all.
Union
requires two "likes" who are opposite in function. We are
all Eves who are designed to express the life of the second
Adam. We cannot originate the life "for" Him; we are
expressers of the union life that He so passionately desires
with His bride. God please grant us a supernatural
revelation of your deepest desire.
John
17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that
the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Pray
that we will meet Him in His desire -
to be one Spirit with us. l Cor.6:17
If you
benefit from these articles you may want to register for
the class on Our Identity in Christ versus Personal
Strongholds.
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