This is possible only if / when we are under the ruling of the divine life! This morning I really enjoyed the fact that the peak in Romans is Reigning in Life – and this means to be under the ruling of the divine life! When we set our mind on our spirit(Rom. 8:6), our mingled spirit spreads into our mind and our mind is more under the ruling of the divine life! This is how we reign in life – by being under the restriction and limitation of the divine life in us!
The Lord Jesus was all the time under the Father’s ruling: He didn’t do anything on His own, unto His glory, or even by His own power. Even though He had a perfect and sinless humanity, He rejected Himself and lived a human life under the restriction of the divine life of His heavenly Father. In one sense, He was very limited and restricted: on the whole earth, He was the only One who didn’t do what He wanted, but what Someone Else wanted(His Heavenly Father). But yet in a very real sense, Christ was reigning in life and had God’s authority by being fully under the reigning of His Father. The more we live under the rule of the heavenly life, the more we can reign in life – for the Body life!
The way to live the Body life in the normal church life – as depicted in Romans 14-16 – is by us reigning in life in Rom. 5:17! The only way for us to receive all the believers, just like God and the Lord Jesus receives them, is by us reigning in life. We must learn the practical lessons of receiving all the believers, so that the church life may be all inclusive, able to include all kinds of genuine Christians. For this to happen, we need to be under the reigning of the divine life! Today there is a great need that all the believers – who received the divine life of God – would allow God’s life in them to rule and reign by enjoying God’s life all the time! We need to practice the restriction and limitation in the divine life, allowing the divine life to spread in us, limit us, even supply us and govern us. This is to practically live the Christian life, receiving all the believers, reigning in life, and living the Body life in the normal church life. Lord, may Your life reign in us!
Amen! The more we live under the rule of the heavenly life, the more we can reign in life – for the Body life!
Indeed, there is a great need that "all the believers – who received the divine life of God – would allow God’s life in them to rule and reign by enjoying God’s life all the time! We need to practice the restriction and limitation in the divine life, allowing the divine life to spread in us, limit us, even supply us and govern us."