December 31

“The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” —GALATIANS 2:20

Once we have submitted our lives to God, we are living for His agenda, but we cannot look at that as something mystical and floating on a cloud somewhere. We keep our feet on the ground and get on with life. 

Proverbs 3:6 says that if we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will direct our paths. That’s a promise God gives us, but in the context of an intimate relationship with Him, which involves dependence on Christ, obedience to Him, trust in Him and love for Him. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). God’s concerns are our concerns, and we recognize that apart from Him, we can do nothing. That’s why Paul says, “The life I live I live by faith in the Son of God.” 

A life with God will be a life of service, because out of the glorious riches of Christ will flow the fact that we are on His business, regardless of where we are or what we’re doing. We may have the most mundane jobs; clock in at 9 and out at 5, but we cannot be disparaged by that. It’s where God has placed us, and it is often in an overwhelmingly secular environment where we see no relationship with God at all that we find ourselves. As Christians, we are the light God brings into that environment for His purpose. He directs our paths, and we keep alert to opportunities God gives us to serve Him. 

This is not, by any means, a ‘higher’ Christian life or a ‘deeper’ Christian life. Watchman Nee, the well-known Chinese writer, has said that the average Christian life is so sub-normal that the normal Christian life appears to be abnormal…. but this is the normal Christian life. And it is not the result of our capacity to imitate God, but of His capacity to reproduce Himself in us.

The Christian life is not about perfection, as we’ll never be perfect, but about our availability to God. It’s about an intimate and loving relationship with Him, in which He discloses His plans to us, and puts us to work together with Him. To the outside world, it’s revolutionary; it’s radical, but it’s also real, and in the words of Paul, “we shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16). A life with God completes us, sustains and fills us to where we need nothing but God, Himself.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, there is no better life than a life with You. I pray for everyone to discover that, and ask for many opportunities to serve You. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: In what ways could I live a more fruitful and contented life with God?