taking the lead to experience life – how can we enjoy God as our life?

This week we are enjoying the fact that we need to take the lead to experience life. In our Christian life we should not care of anything else except the living Christ in us. This Christ is our life, and this Christ is the tree of life, always imparting life into our inner being to be our supply.

The goal in God’s creation is life, even the tree of life coming into man to be man’s life. The goal of God’s judicial redemption is being saved in God’s life (Rom. 5:10). Everything in our Christian life is related to life – it is in and of the divine life in us. We need to take the lead to experience life daily.

The goal of God’s creation is life

In Genesis we see how God created the heavens and the earth, and then we see how He came in to speak and bring into being the earth, the plants, the animals, and man. But what is the goal of God’s creation? If we study the first 2 chapters of Genesis we will realize that the goal of God’s creation is life.

This life which is the goal of God’s creation is not only the plant life, the animal life, or even the human life, but it is the divine life signified by the tree of life in the middle of the garden (Gen. 1: 26-28; 2:7-9). The tree of life was in the middle of the garden of Eden, which is the center of the earth, which is the center of the universe. The tree of life is the center of the universe!

God’s redemption issues in life and is for life

In the new creation, the goal of God’s judicial redemption is not only to save us from eternal perdition but it is to save us much more in God’s life (Rom. 5:10; John 19:34; Col. 3:3-4; Rev. 22:1-2). The Lord’s redeeming work on the cross is very important, but it is only the foundation and the base for God’s organic salvation, His salvation in His life!

Now we can come to enjoy the Lord as life – He is the bread of life for us to eat, and He is the living bread for us to enjoy (John 6:35, 57, 63; Matt. 15:22-27). He is also the vine (John 15:1) – He is the tree of life, the reality of the tree of life, for us to enjoy today!

How can we enjoy God as life?

First of all, the real life in the universe, the life which is really life, is God Himself. The human life as the highest created life will perish, and its existence is depending on God Himself. Life is God. But how can we as human beings enjoy God as life? God seems to be so high, so far away, almost intangible – how can we enjoy Him as life?

The Bible tells us that God dwells in unapproachable light, but Christ is the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9) and in Him was life (John 1:4). Life is God Himself, but man can enjoy this life in Christ, who is the embodiment of God. How can we touch this life in Christ? Where is Christ today?

Christ today is the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). The Lord Jesus said in John 14 that the Father is in Him, and then He said when He, the Lord Jesus, will go to the Father, He will send another Comforter to be in and with the believers – the Spirit! This Spirit is the Spirit of reality (John 14:17).

What is the Spirit? Rom. 8:2 tells us that the Spirit is “the Spirit of life” – this Spirit gives life to people! Today God as life can be found in Christ, and Christ is right now the Spirit who gives life! In John 6:63 the Lord said that the words which He spoke are spirit and are life. To obtain God as life, we need the Spirit!

One last element in this process is light – in Christ is life, and this life is the light of men (John 1:4; also see Psa. 36:9). Life comes into us through the shining of the light – the divine light brings into us life, the divine life. When the light shines, we receive life, and this life is the light of men.

How can we receive light or find light? The light is in the word of God – the words that the Lord speaks to us are spirit and are life. When we read the Word of God and when we speak the Word to other people, the Lord has a way to shine and bring in light into man. When we are in the shining of the light, we have life! This life is the Spirit, the Spirit is Christ, and Christ is God.

Speak the Word to Receive More Life!

Whenever the Spirit gives us a word or a feeling to open our mouth and praise the Lord or speak to others about the Lord, we need to receive this word and open our mouth and speak! When we speak, we will have light within, and this light is life, the Spirit, Christ, and God – we gain more of God as life!

When we respond to this feeling within us and offer praise to God or speak the word of God to someone else, we will sense a satisfaction of life within us, something sweet of Christ, even the presence of God and the moving of the Spirit! The way we can enjoy God as life is by coming to His Word and allow His light to shine in us to bring in God as life into us.

Thank You Lord for bringing us to see that Your goal in creation is life! Your goal in the judicial redemption is life. Save us from focusing on anything else but experiencing Christ as life. You are our life within, and we want to grow in life and enjoy You as life more. Keep us coming to Your Word that we may receive the light which brings in life. Lord, we want to be those taking the lead to experience life!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from, Knowing Life and the Church (chs. 1-2, by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Lead as Elders and Responsible Ones, week 2.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # God gave His Son to man to be / The tree of life so rich and free.
  # Life is mysterious, life is God Himself, / Whose whole intention focuses on man.
  # Dear Lord, Thou art the Tree of Life, / The very life supply.
• Picture source: God is life.