Christian Living
The well spring of life ; the riches of Christ !
These words are perhaps the most precious you will ever come across in your life time and yet few will take the time to read, much less to take hold !
If this nugget of truth were valued and manifested as a nugget of gold instead, we would at once go secure armed guards, and all the machinery, tools, equipment, transportation and storage necessary to obtain and protect it.
How is it we can recognize and accurately appreciate a nugget of gold which is only temporal in the end and yet not recognize something far more valuable and eternal ?
Well, if you have read this far, I can only hope you will read further and dig deeper into your soul and spirit so as to not only see but also to take hold of that which is “the riches of Christ” !
If I may say so, all who have believed into Christ have this treasure deposited within them already. Trouble is, they do not know it, realize, nor experience it to any measurable or quantifiable degree and why is this ?
I can tell you the answer is very complex and yet very, very simple. It is impossible to experience and yet so easy a child can have it. Ahh, but that’s just it … are you a child or can you become one ?
Again, this is quite complex so that I cannot lay claim to being able to properly and thoroughly expound on this great subject but I will give an attempt to at least say enough so as to stir your soul and spirit to seek the truth for yourself. The reward is great !
Let me just say that there are two fountains of life available to man. One is natural but corrupted and enshrouded in darkness and not able to know what he does not even know. It’s source is rooted in the man Adam but also in the very nature of Satan himself which Adam ingested in the garden of Eden. This source of life is contained within the soul’s of men. It was first introduced into the body of Adam which manifested as the “flesh”. It then mutated the soul of man into what is called the “self”. In addition to this, the spirit of man was cut off from the soul all except for one little part (thank God) which is the conscience ! Even this marvelous part of the soul is corrupted by the flesh and self of the man, but at least it is there and prevents man from total degradation !
The other source or fountain of life, as you might expect, comes from the Lord Jesus Christ ! Though all believers are aware of this, yet few experience this to any measurable degree. The reason is, few have realized the separation of their spirit and soul so that they continue to WALK out from their soul instead of their spirit. Few even understand the differences between the two even though Hebrews 4:12 clearly states the importance of the division of spirit and soul.
First of all we must realize that we have these two separate parts of our being, then we must understand the differing functions and operations, then we must understand the connection and influence of these to the spirit realm and then finally we must facilitate the precious separation so as to begin to walk in spirit for the beautiful and abundant life contained in this well spring of life !
In the most simple of terms, we should realize that we have a spirit and a soul and we must walk according to the higher part. Prior to our being born again, it was only possible to walk in and according to our soul (the synergistic operation of mind, will and emotions along with the underlying “heart”). To begin walking in newness of life however, we must facilitate the transforming operation of the Holy Spirit for the separation of the soul from the spirit so that we can function properly, deriving our life supply directly from Christ. This Christ is a real and actual person who happens to reside within the confines of our spirit. Trouble is, until the two parts are separated, we still yet remain in the soul and walk from it with the limited and corrupted life therein.
Ever wonder why others (and especially ourselves) are still able to do bad things after being saved? This is why. We now have two differing and even opposing natures within ourselves. We must allow the higher one to take precedence over the other to experience this abundant and pure life.
The simplest way I can illustrate is to mention what the Lord has said regarding this matter in that, “God will not be mocked, you will reap according to what you sow. Sow to the flesh (within the soul) and you will reap corruption. Sow to the sprit and you will reap the eternal well spring of life” (my translation).
This means that daily, hourly and minute by minute we must chose from which source we will draw our life ; the spirit or the soul. To chose the former requires a constant dying to and denying the desires of the soul, the self, the flesh, the world and others ! This is precisely what Jesus referred to when He said, “Anyone who wishes to come after Me must deny his soul life” and again, “He who loses his soul life shall gain “IT”, but he who saves or hangs onto (or lives according to) his soul life shall lose it.
Thus, in the most simple of terms, you have a choice. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot live according to the soul life and it’s limitations and corrupted influences and ways, and the spirit at the same time. This is why it speaks of polluting fresh water with salt water. If we mix the soul life and living with that of the spirit it results in pollution or contamination. That is why God has declared that He would that we were either cold or hot and that to be lukewarm He would throw us up.
The separating of spirit and soul is more a matter of which source we live according to and thus draw our life from. Since the soul life is our natural life spring, we must deny it and sow to the other source within our spirit. The more we do this the more the Lord does His work of separation. As He does this, the spirit becomes our primary source for life and living and the soul begins to be reconstituted according to the holiness of Christ. It removes and purges the soul of all it’s corruption and impurities conforming it into the image of Christ. At the same time, it cuts off the influence of the satanic nature and the world upon our lives and living.
There is so much more to this precious life spring but may I just say, that to realize it in your experience is to gain the glory of the Lord. This experience is meant for each and every believer ! It is nothing short of the proper working and healthy function of the complete man as god had intentioned it to be in spirit, soul and body ! Let us not neglect so great a salvation !
I welcome all comments, support and suggestions. grace and peace,
[email protected]
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