Through
suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life
of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:10
There are values in Christ risen for our bodies now. His risen
Life can now energize these bodies; not, for the present, to change them into
the likeness of His glorious body, but to quicken them for service. There is
risen Life for these mortal bodies now, but it has to be deliberately
appropriated, chosen, drawn upon. It is useless for me when I am feeling ill
and weak to sit down and say, "Oh, Lord, come and pick me up, and put me
on my feet, and make me well!" The Lord never does so.
I know this: that in such times of desperate weakness and
physical discount, utter inability, any kind of coming in of the Lord has
always been introduced by the Lord making me take hold of Him. The Lord has
never come in and made me suddenly to feel myself being filled, permeated with
Life, and rising up. I have known the moment very often come when the Lord, not
in an audible voice but in what is as good, a suggestion, a prompting, has
said, "Lay hold of Life; lay hold of Me as your Life!" There were no
spoken words, but the intimation was to this effect: The time has come to
repudiate this state and lay hold of Christ for Life! And that has been unto a
renewal for a further period of service. The Lord does not take us up like an
automaton; He causes us to cooperate with Himself on the basis of His risen
Life. All the values of Christ risen are found by our deliberate and definite
taking hold of His risen Life. That is but to say, repudiate Adam, whether it
be in body, soul or spirit, and stand in Christ for whatever the need may be.
Is it for spirit? Is it for mind? Is it for heart? Is it for will? Is it for
body? The one essential is to stand definitely in Christ for the situation....
The whole realm and range of Christ for experience is dependent upon His risen
Life in us, and our laying hold of it, standing on it. The Lord show us more of
what that means.
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