“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Gal 2:20.
The heart of true religion is to believe that Christ is literally within us.
We must not simply look to Him as our Mediator, Advocate, and Example, but as being possessed by Him. He is our Life, the living Fountain rising up in the well of our personality. The Apostle Paul was never weary of re-affirming this great fact of his experience, and it would be well if each of us could say every day, before starting forth on our daily duty: “Christ is in me; let me make room for Him to dwell”[see Eph. 3:17].
We must say No to self, that the life of Christ may become manifest in and through us, and our standing become a reality in daily experience and conduct.[1] When evil suggestions come to us, we must remember that we have entered a world where such things have no place. We are no longer in the realm of the god of this world, but have passed into the realm of the Risen Christ [Col. 1:13,14]. Let those who are tempted believe this, and assert it in the face of the tempter, counting upon the Holy Spirit to make their reckoning a living experience.
In Ephesians 6:13-17 is described the armour of the Christian soul; in Colossians 3:12-14 the habit or dress which he wears beneath his coat of mail. We must be careful to be properly dressed each day. If we lose our temper over trifles, or yield to uncharitable speech, it shows that we have omitted to put on the belt of love; if we yield to pride, avarice, envy and jealousy, we must not simply endeavour to put off these evils, but take from the wardrobe the opposite graces. It is not enough to avoid doing wrong. Our Master demands that we should always do and be what is right.
When we fail in some sudden demand, it is because we have omitted to put on some trait of Christ, which was intended to be the complement of our need. Let us therefore day by day say: “Lord Jesus, wrap Yourself around me, that I may go forth, adequately attired to meet life’s demands” [see Rom. 13:14].
- In Christ for standing;
- Christ in us, for life;
- we with him, for safety.
[“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” Rom. 13:11-14].
PRAYER
Set my heart on fire with the love of You, and then to do Your will, and to obey Your commandments, will not be grievous to me. For to him that loves, nothing is difficult, nothing is impossible; because love is stronger than death. AMEN.
[1] The author uses “self” in this context to refer to the flesh, the self-centered tendencies that remain in man’s mortal condition. For further information, see the GN, Sorting Your Self Out.
Old English is updated in the closing prayers. Bracketed content added – JBW
From Our Daily Walk (June 2nd reading)
Frederick Brotherton Meyer (1847-1929) was a Baptist pastor and evangelist in England.