“This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27 NLT)
May I share a word from the Lord? Living for Christ is not an activity to which the Lord calls us! Yes, you read that correctly. The Lord isn’t nearly as concerned about our living for Him as He is in our allowing Him to live His life in and through us. It’s not OUR life and how we live it that’s the issue; it’s how effectively are we allowing Him to be revealed through us as we live out His life in our daily lives.
Is this simply semantics? Not according to Paul. The assurance of our sharing His glory, His ultimate victory over sin and death, depends on our understanding and living out this very potent truth. The way we know we have life in Christ, according to Paul in Romans 8:16, is that God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are indeed a child of God.
The Spirit in us testifies on our behalf that God lives and reigns in our life. If there’s no Holy Spirit within us, there’s no testimony to give. Our “faith in Christ” is meaningless and worthless unless and until the Holy Spirit is invited to live in and work through us. Then His words are enabled and empowered to not only be heard, but to powerfully move the hearts of our friends and loved ones to invite the Lord who owns us, to live in their heart and life as well.
How do we do that? What’s the “key?” I love how Mark Driscoll sums it up: “The key to a victorious Christian life? Don’t just live for Christ, let Christ live through you!”
Yes, I know, that sounds catchy and great, but how do we do that? How do you breath? Yep, same concept. You breathe air into your lungs, then exhale it out. Like the Karate Kid: “Wax on. Wax off.” “Breathe in. Breathe out.” What’s my point?
As a child of God, we “breathe” the Lord’s Spirit into our life by an act of our will, a decision. We invite the Holy God to take up residence in us and live His life out through us. It’s exciting, energizing, life-renewing when that happens, but make no mistake – it happens at our invitation. Yes, of course, the Holy Spirit convicts, convinces, and draws us to Himself, but He will not overpower our will. What’s my point?
Neither will He force us to allow Him to live His life out through us. It’s a constant decision, almost like breathing. In the beginning it’s all fresh and new, so, we don’t have to “force” anything. A lot of our “commitment” is emotional, so we coast on that a while until one day we wake up and realize: “I must have had a dream, because all the emotion is gone. This ‘Jesus thing’ must be a lie!” When, in reality, it’s like starting a new job, buying a new house, having a baby – it’s just the beginning of a new chapter in our life.
We learn to adapt to challenges and changes, and becoming a child of God is no different. It takes time to learn how to let the Lord live His life out through us, but the key ways to walk that journey effectively are to pray often, literally moment by moment; feast on God’s Word, the Bible. Don’t simply read out of obligation, but as a starving person eating a healthy meal; and by partnering with other God-pursuers who are just as hungry to learn as you.
The key to me is to “breathe” Jesus in with every breath and let Him have outlets for His life in every detail of ours, as naturally as allowing the air in our lungs to escape. Every thought, action, and attitude. Yes, of course, learning to live effectively for Christ takes time, but it’s well worth the effort.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 