Touch Jesus...Touch Life

Years ago I had a mentor-friend named Donna.  She was the one the Lord used to usher me into experiencing Christ in me as the One who does the doing in the Christian life!  Her key phrase was (as I remember it) "God does it." Then, by the Spirit of God, came the realization that my indwelling Lord Jesus Christ is my All in All!  He is the Father's Ultimate Gift to me...no-thing else, no-thing more!

Jesus is __________

Most of us Christians, when we pray, ask for things...money to pay a bill, a turn-around for a wayward child, healing from sickness, comfort in grief, hope for the future, wisdom for the pending decision, strength for the task ahead, courage for the scary opportunity, patience for the unendurable, stability for the unthinkable.

But God doesn't give us anything apart from His Son.  He is the Gift! He is the "Stuff" we want...the Thing we ask for.  So what we are really longing for is a greater experience of our Lord Jesus Christ, in and through our lives.

Because...

...when we touch Christ, we touch Life!

I love how Watchman Nee says it:

How we need to have our mind renewed so as to understand that aside from Christ God has no intention for us to have many so-called spiritual things. According to God’s arrangement, there are things; only, these things are Christ. For Christ is the sum of all spiritual things. Christ is our righteousness—He has not given us a righteousness. Christ is our sanctification—He has not granted us a thing called power to make us holy. Christ is our redemption—He has not offered us a redemption. Christ is the way—He has not opened to us another way in which to walk. Christ is the truth—He has not presented some truth before us for us to understand. Christ is the life—He has not conferred on us a thing called life.

Brothers and sisters, as we travel along God’s course, we will discover more and more that of all God’s grace there is only one grace, of all God’s gifts there is only one gift. That grace is Christ, that gift is also Christ. Thank God, day after day He is showing us how Christ is all-inclusive.” (Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things)

Let that sink in a bit, dear friend.  We are always asking for stuff in addition to Christ...but HE is All!

In case it takes you a while to grasp this, as it did me, rest right here and bask in the Glory of the Living Christ Whom the Scriptures describe as the Father's All!

In worship at church a few Sundays ago, I was moved by a song that sent my soul running to HIM who is Everything and Anything I could ever need. Enter in and run to Him Who is your All!

Jesus is___________

Forever Reign

You are goodYou are goodWhen there's nothing good in meYou are loveYou are loveOn display for all to see

You are lightYou are lightWhen the darkness closes inYou are hopeYou are hopeYou have covered all my sin

You are peaceYou are peaceWhen my fear is cripplingYou are trueYou are trueEven in my wandering

You are joyYou are joyYou're the reason that I singYou are lifeYou are lifeIn you death has lost it's sting

Oh, I'm running to Your armsI'm running to Your armsThe riches of Your loveWill always be enoughNothing compares to Your embraceLight of the world forever reign

You are moreYou are moreThan my words will ever sayYou are LordYou are LordAll creation will proclaim

You are hereYou are hereIn your presence I'm made wholeYou are GodYou are GodOf all else I'm letting go

Hallelujah, foreverAll the glory, foreverAll the praise to You

My heart will singNo other nameJesus, Jesus

[youtuber youtube='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBQtIEEkrU']

Christ in Me is Everything I Need

Christ in Me is Everything I Needlyrics by David Bolton

Christ in me is everything I need

Christ in me is all the Father seeks

He’s my Truth, my Righteousness

My Wisdom, and my Peace

He’s my Life, my Holiness

My Hope of Glory

For all He is

He is in me

And I am now complete

For Christ in me is all I’ll ever need

Thanks to a dear brother, David Bolton, for permission to reprint this beautiful lyrical response to our all sufficient, indwelling Christ. Explore David's Christ-exalting website/blog at www.christcenteredchristianity.com

Knowing CHRIST...not methods or doctines or power

“The characteristic of Christianity lies in the fact that its source, depth, and riches are involved with the knowledge of God’s Son. It matters not how much we know of methods or doctrines or power. What really matters is the knowledge of the Son of God. Knowing God’s Son is the way, knowing God’s Son is the truth, and knowing God’s Son is the life. Our power comes from knowing His Son. All that God gives to us is His Son, not a lot of things. Hence the whole question lies in knowing God’s Son.” (Chap. 1, Pg. 8) “We have briefly mentioned how all spiritual things are in Christ. God has given Him to us to be all these things. This is a most essential point of understanding in spiritual life. Is our experience mere experience or is it Christ? Is our righteousness simply righteousness or is it Christ? Is our sanctification only sanctification or is it Christ? Is our redemption merely redemption or is it Christ?

Frequently we talk about the way, but that way may not be Christ himself. In like manner, we can speak of truth and of life without necessarily speaking of Christ. In brief, we have many things outside of Christ. This constitutes a formidable spiritual problem to God’s children. We may confess with our mouth that Christ is the center of all things, nevertheless in our lives we have many matters other than Christ, as if these can help us to be Christians. How we need to have our mind renewed so as to understand that aside from Christ God has no intention for us to have many so-called spiritual things. According to God’s arrangement, there are things; only, these things are Christ. For Christ is the sum of all spiritual things. Christ is our righteousness—He has not given us a righteousness. Christ is our sanctification—He has not granted us a thing called power to make us holy. Christ is our redemption—He has not offered us a redemption. Christ is the way—He has not opened to us another way in which to walk. Christ is the truth—He has not presented some truth before us for us to understand. Christ is the life—He has not conferred on us a thing called life.

“Brothers and sisters, as we travel along God’s course, we will discover more and more that of all God’s grace there is only one grace, of all God’s gifts there is only one gift. That grace is Christ, that gift is also Christ. Thank God, day after day He is showing us how Christ is all-inclusive.” (Chap. 3, page 37-38)

Excerpt From “Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things” – by Watchman Nee

Thanks to a dear brother, David Bolton, for permission to reprint this excerpt. Explore his Christ exalting website/blog at www.christcenteredchristianity.com

Tomorrow, we will explore some Scriptures that expound these glorious truths. Again, we come to rest in the glorious fact that...

JESUS + nothing = Everything