Wednesday, October 7, 2009

"Risen With Him"

In this day, as in every day, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will require resurrection if we are to genuinely trust and obey God.

"If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:10-11).

Apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit enlivening our humanity, we cannot think, feel, speak, act, or relate in a manner pleasing to God. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him," and it is by faith that we access our Lord's working to transform in living experience the tomb of our flesh into a temple of the risen life of Christ (Hebrews 11:6). It is a humbling truth, and one that our flesh will greatly resist, as will our spiritual enemies who recognize that the believer is meant to be a display of the truth that our Savior is risen from the dead.

When we think a true and Biblical thought, the risen life of Christ is the power thereof. When we feel pure and godly emotion, the risen life of Christ is the power thereof. When we speak words that exalt God and edify others, the risen life of Christ is the power thereof. When we act in manner that honors our Lord and fulfills His will, the risen life of Christ is the power thereof. And when we relate to God and others in love, the risen life of Christ is the power thereof. Our bodies, that is, our earthly humanity, is abjectly dead in terms of any good thing - "in my flesh dwelleth no good thing" - and thus, we are totally dependent on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to become more than historical fact (Romans 7:18). It must become personal reality and applied enlivening of our mortal bodies if we are to live in terms that God defines as life.

Much of this enlivening happens without our knowing it as we submit ourselves to the glory and will of the Lord Jesus. However, many opportunities will also present us with the opportunity to consciously trust in the risen life of Christ to be manifested in our inherent weakness. "Without Me, ye can do nothing" declared the Lord Jesus to His disciples (John 15:5). The same is true of us, and wonderfully, we will never live a moment of our lives in which we are without Him. Our Lord is present both with and within us, and ready to reveal in practical experience the truth that He is risen from the dead. We are "risen with Him" in the spirit, and as we believe, the Life that resides deeply within us will come forth in our thoughts, emotions, words, deeds, and relationships .

"Ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead."
(Colossians 2:12)

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