The Daily Word of Righteousness

Living by His Body and Blood, continued

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:4—NIV)

We are walking on the earth as He walked, if we are abiding in Him.

This is a high but not an impossible calling. It truly is as far above our adamic nature as the heavens are above the earth. But because it is God Almighty who has promised such oneness it shall become fact for the human being who responds with faith and obedience.

Let us therefore without delay determine to live each moment of each day in the Presence of Jesus Christ. Let us hold every decision before Him, no matter how small or great, for His approval.

Let us cultivate His Presence, always denying ourselves when it is obvious His will and our desires are in conflict.

What we have been presenting in this briefest of essays is the doctrine of the resurrection. In the sixth chapter of the Book of Hebrews, the doctrine of the resurrection is mentioned as one of the basics that we master as we press toward perfection.

Perfection, as described in the Book of Hebrews, is the rest of God. The rest of God is that place in God where every enemy of God in our personality has been put under the feet of Jesus Christ.

We have attained perfection, the rest of God, when our will is precisely the same as God's will for us. Then we have perfect rest and peace in God and God has perfect rest and peace in us. This is eternal joy, eternal peace, eternal love. God Himself thus becomes our Righteousness and Holiness.

The goal is Jesus Christ Himself. To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings—the sufferings that have to do with the denial of His and our desires in the world and finally vicious rejection and persecution.

But all of these denials, frustrations and pains are but light afflictions and result in an eternal weight of glory prepared for us in Heaven before the Throne of God. In the Day of Christ our flesh and bones will be raised and then clothed with that eternal weight of glory—a body so surpassingly glorious in capabilities that our present tent is seen for the prison and testing area it really is.

There is nothing in this world of sufficient worth that we should allow it to compete with Christ for first place in our affection. Relatively all is garbage

until it has died and been raised again in Christ. All that we are and possess must die in Christ. Then if it is something that will bring eternal joy to us it will be raised in Christ and returned to us. Now it is our possession for eternity.

To learn to live by His body and blood—this is our goal. This is the resurrection. This is the new covenant of God with man.

Lay hold on the new covenant for it is all that truly is worthwhile and eternal. All else is doomed to fade away with the passage of time. (from Living by His Body and Blood)