Day 29

We are as near to God as we actually want to be. We will know as much of the working of God in our lives as we actually want to know.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”  —MATTHEW 16:25

Hudson Taylor, the great missionary pioneer in China in the late 19th century, coined the phrase: “The secret of a changed life is discovering that it’s an exchanged life.”  He was referring to what Jesus said here: “If you give your life over to me, I will give my life over to you, and then you find life in all its fullness. But if you hold onto your life, and keep it for your own ends, go ahead, but ultimately you will lose everything.” 

The cost of living in the fullness of God is that everything is given over to Him. A willingness to come to a place of death is necessary to come to the place of life.

Listen to what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:10. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our bodies. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake so that His life may be revealed in our mortal bodies.” So why are we always giving ourselves over to death in Jesus Christ? So that Jesus Christ will give Himself over to us, and then we can live in the fullness of His life with His presence and His activity within us. 

Of course, if we want to go on living our lives in our own way we can do so. God will never twist our arm or force the issue. We are as near to God as we actually want to be. We will know as much of the working of God in our lives as we actually want to know.

It doesn’t matter what environment we are in. We can be in the greatest church in the world and still be carnal. As we have learned from Judas, we could even be in Jesus’ own intimate circle, and be utterly defeated. But if we deny ourselves, take up our cross, give ourselves without reservation to Jesus Christ, losing our lives for Him, then, and only then, will we find life in all its fullness.