In Christ

I've been reading a Lenten series through YouVersion these last few weeks, and today this came through from Watchman Nee--a writer from China who I did not understand when I tried to read him 30 years ago.  But now I begin to see what he was saying.  Like John of the Cross.  And Teresa of Avila.  And John Coe. The fact that I am now in my 60's in not lost on me here.  Until God has brought us through "difficult and painful ways", it is hard to see where He is taking us.  Until the Spirit has swept the heart clean of the residue of the Old Person--or at least a great portion of it--and replaced it with Himself, it is impossible to experience the miracle of resurrection in your own soul.  Now I see a glimmer of what is to come and it urges me on to surrender more and more of myself.  Surrender to God is, in the end, the only way to Life. "God must bring us to a point - I cannot tell you how it will be, but He will do it - where, through a deep and dark experience, our natural power is touched and fundamentally weakened, so that we no longer dare trust ourselves. He has had to deal with some of us very harshly, and take us through difficult and painful ways, in order to get us there... But then at last it is that He can begin to use us. We would like to have death and resurrection put together within one hour of each other. We cannot face the thought that God will keep us aside for so long a time; we cannot bear to wait. And I cannot tell you how long He will take, but in principle I think it is quite safe to say this, that there will be a definite period when He will keep you there... All is in darkness, but it is only for a night. It must indeed be a full night, but that is all. Afterwards you will find that everything is given back to you in glorious resurrection; and nothing can measure the difference between what was before and what now is!" Watchman Nee (China, 1903-1972)

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 NASB