Jul 28, 2016
Do you find yourself needing more patience, kindness, or humility in your Christian life?
Although we may realize that as Christians we should express Christ’s love, patience, kindness, mercy, and humility to those around us, we also find that sometimes this can be difficult, and other times even impossible.
Christ is full of unlimited love, patience, and mercy, but our love, our patience, and our mercy are so limited! We try to love others, but our love only goes so far. We attempt to have patience with people, but eventually our patience runs out.
Since this is the case, then how can we live a life that expresses the limitless virtues of our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ?
The answer lies in His Spirit.
Modern science has produced all kinds of drugs that treat a variety of ailments. One drug eases pain, another clears the sinuses, and another kills germs. And sometimes different elements are even compounded in one medicine to address all our symptoms at once. You can call this kind of medicine an all-inclusive dose.
The Holy Spirit is just such an all-inclusive dose that can meet all our needs.
In chapter 2 of his book, The Economy of God, Witness Lee describes it this way:
“Have we ever realized that the Holy Spirit is the best ‘dose’ in the whole world? Just one dose is enough to meet all our needs. All that the Father and the Son are and all that They have are in this wonderful Spirit. Consider how many elements are within this dose: God’s divine nature with Christ’s human nature, His human living with its earthly sufferings, the wonderful effectiveness of His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His enthronement. Such a dose is beyond our imagination. Yet, praise the Lord, every day we can enjoy it.”
When we believed in the Lord Jesus, He entered into our spirit as the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit. By contacting the Lord as the Spirit, we’re supplied with whatever we need.
Do you need patience? The Lord Jesus is patience. Do you need humility? The Lord Jesus is humility. He is strength, comfort, love, humility, kindness, self-control, meekness, and guidance. Whatever we need, He is. And rather than giving us patience, love, or kindness, the Lord as the all-inclusive Spirit is our patience, love, and kindness. He Himself as the Spirit meets our every need. Whatever we may be short of is in this one dose of the all-inclusive Spirit.
Following teachings, learning doctrines, or modifying our behavior to be “good Christians” isn’t the solution. We simply need to contact Christ as the Spirit to take Him as the wonderful, all-inclusive dose. Everything is in the Spirit.
Now let’s talk about five ways we can contact the Spirit to take the healthy “dose” we need for our daily Christian walk:
First, we can read the Bible.
John 6:63b says, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” When we come to the Bible and open ourselves to God’s speaking, we contact the Lord as the Spirit and receive life from His Word.
Next, we can pray.
First Corinthians 14:15a says, “I will pray with my spirit.” When we pray with our spirit, we contact the Lord who is the Spirit, and we receive more of the all-inclusive dose.
Third, we can sing.
First Corinthians 14:15b goes on to say, “I will sing with the spirit.” Just as we can contact the Spirit by praying with our spirit, we can also contact the Spirit by singing hymns and spiritual songs with our spirit.
Fourth, we can call on the name of the Lord.
First Corinthians 12:3 says, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking in the Spirit of God says, Jesus is accursed; and no one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.” When we call, “Lord Jesus,” or say, “Jesus is Lord,” we contact the Lord as the Spirit and receive more of the wonderful, all-inclusive dose.
Finally, we can pray-read; that is, we can pray over what we read in the Word. Ephesians 6:17-18a says, “And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God, by means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit.” We can practice what’s taught in this verse by turning what we read into a prayer to the Lord. This is an excellent way to receive more of the Spirit as the One we need.
Isn’t it incredible that we can contact Christ as the Spirit and receive Him as everything we need to live the Christian life? Our greatest need is not to learn more doctrine or to try harder to do better, but to contact the Spirit day by day through reading the Bible, praying, singing, calling on the name of the Lord, and pray-reading. As we practice these things, we take the Spirit as the all-inclusive dose to meet our every need.