Suffering Releases Divine Life

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Living in Christ

Christ as life

Christ living in us.

What wonderful expressions!!  Even before we touch the reality of these 3 beautiful statuses, there is joy in just uttering it or hearing it.

But will the Lord wish that we know these truths outwardly?  Shouldn't we yearn to know the meaning of these expressions inwardly, as true experiences that lead to true happiness? (Psalms 19:14, Psalms 26:2, Deu 30:6, Psalms 7:10,)

The Lord is in us (2 Tim 1:14, Jam 4:5, 1John 4:12)

The Lord is the life in us (John 1:4, John 5:21, John 5:40, John 14:6, 1 Cor 15:45) and

We are living in the Lord (John 17:21, 1 Cor 1:30, Eph 2:6, 1 John 3:24).

If we say that we are living in Christ, then absolutely nothing can give us a heartbreak (1 Pet 4:12).  Grief, joy, trouble, success, will not be sudden surprises to us but everything will be for the glory of the Lord (1Pet 4:12).  Rather than being surprised and grieving during troubles and tribulations, the residents are blessed in Christ and are partakers in His sufferings (Phil 1:29, 2Tim 1:8). 

The Lord knows our heart (Isa 1:20, 29:13), our inward parts more than we do?( Psalms 19:14, Psalms 26:2, Deu 30:6, Psalms 7:10,).  If He sees a problem in our hearts, what will He do?  Say, if we have a problem in forgiving someone, will He not arrange all things for us to learn and forgive someone with His forgiveness (Rom 8:28).  Indeed, He will.  Hallelujah.

Recently, the Lord taught me a lesson of forgiveness through an incident arranged by Him.  I was offended by a person at my workplace and I was furious at him.  Many verses from the Bible came to my mind at that fuming moment in my mind, but it was futile.  I prayed but could not bring my heart to peace regarding that bitter incident.  I asked Lord Jesus, “Lord, I don’t understand, why such a bitter thing happened?”  I continuously conversed with the Lord and walked with Him, though more like a grumbling kid. 

I may have thought that everything was going fine with me, but clearly, I lacked forgiveness which was exposed by this bitter incident that happened with me.  It was like a disease being exposed after some tests.  The Lord exposed it and then proceeded to quarantine it.  I was trying to forgive the person who offended me with my own natural ability which was impossible for me.  Even if I am able to forgive the person this time, what will happen if the same person does the same offence again?  It was not as easy as I thought.  I learnt that my forgiveness should be replaced by Christ Himself that I may forgive a person seven times seventy (Mat 18:22).  This is truly achievable when I am living in the Lord, He is living in me and the Lord is the life in me.  Amen.  Then I produced the right forgiveness which God desired. 

That is our Loving Lord.  He will not give up on us.  He is a conqueror and will not rest until He makes all His overcomers (1Jn 5:4) more than conquerors in life (Rom 8:37).  Amen.

A couple of days later, I visited a blood bank to donate blood to an acquaintance.  For the first time, I understood that there was an eligibility test before the blood donation.  My blood passed the eligibility test.  Right in that crowded blood bank, I received the dispensation of the Lord.  The whole test procedure turned out to be a pure gospel session which was directly ministered by the Holy Spirit to me.  The test conductor mercilessly pierced my finger and pressed it hard to collect a few drops of blood.  The finger pained for a couple of days after that. 

Not long, I understood the great spiritual truth behind it.  What an awesome message it was and is still for me!  

The finger was a member of the body, just as I am a member of the Body of Christ (Eph 1:22-23, Eph 5:30).  When something pierced me, I cried and complained to the Lord.  I was stuck with the Lord who is the Head of the Body which is His church today.  Though the pain was in the finger, it was the head which calculated and felt the pain and planned the future course of action to comfort the troubled part.  In the same way Christ knows the future course of remedial actions for the piercings that we suffer in Him. 

The needle which was used to prick my finger was for a single use.  It was lifeless and its place after its purpose is in the dust bin.  Today, the Lord uses many needles of the world (unbelievers) for our own good and our being increased with Him.  The people of world may think that they are doing something against you, but it is the Lord who is using all the things for good to those who love Him and walk according to Him (Rom 8:28).  Poor unbelievers, they are already dead without the salvation offered by God in Lord Jesus Christ and yet they are laboring hard, so that the Lord’s believers may receive an increase in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Without a piercing, the blood will not flow out of body.  And the world needs only the blood of Christ for their salvation, so this is the standard to qualify.  When the lovers of the Lord suffer and glorify the Lord in the sufferings, they are partakers of the Lord’s cross which is producing life in them.  The world desperately needs this outflow of life, so they test a believer whether he or she really has the life of the Lord inside them.  Our Lord’s blood has passed the test of the righteous requirement of Father God on the cross and now it needs to flow out into the dying people of the world.  So let us not complain, think that something strange has happened when we receive the piercings or sufferings in the world (Rom 8:17, 2Tim 3:12).  It is for the life of the Lord to flow out of us.  Thank God that we are qualified and passed the eligibility by the blood of the Lord as life in us.  Let us abide in Him to allow the Lord’s life to flow out of us, though for a short while we may suffer if need be.  Endure such sufferings as the soldier of Christ (2Tim 2:3).  Amen. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus we believe You.  We have passed the eligibility test because of Your work on the cross for sinners like me.  Lord, Your life is in us as the life- giving Spirit and the world around me needs this flow of Your life.  Lord we pray for Your mighty grace to sustain us as means of Your outflow of divine life.  Lord, we were the highway people but now You have chosen us to be Your children.  We thank You so much for the divine life.  Amen.