Ｃ
Through our prayer Christ, the Head, is given a way to carry out His administration through His Body—1:18; 2:19; 3:1-2:
１
As the Head is working in heaven by interceding, ministering, and administrating, we, the Body, are working on earth responding to the heavenly ministry of Christ and reflecting what He is doing—Heb. 2:17; 4:14; 7:26; 8:1-2; Rev. 5:6.
２
When we pray, we are a heavenly ambassador on earth as the extension of God's kingdom—Col. 1:9, 12-13; 4:11-12.
Ｄ
If we seek the things which are above and have one life and one living with Christ, we will be wholly occupied with the enterprise of our Master—3:1-4, 17:
１
Our heart will be with Him in heaven, where He is interceding for the churches, supplying the saints, and administrating God's government.
２
We should aspire to be one with the Lord in His heavenly ministry and to have a heart that is one with His heart, and we should long to be one with Him in His priesthood, ministry, and administration.
Ｅ
In order for the recovery to be the Lord's recovery, it must be under His direction—Rev. 5:6; Eph. 1:19-23:
１
Between Christ in heaven and us on earth, there is a divine transmission, a heavenly current—v. 22.
２
If we continuously receive the divine transmission, being infused with a supply from heaven and experiencing the transaction between the heavenly Christ and us, we will respond to Christ's interceding, ministering, and executing of God's administration.
Morning Nourishment
Col. 3:1-2 If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.When we set our mind on the things above during our times of prayer, we become a reflection of Christ's ministry in the heavens. Through our prayer, Christ, the Head, is given a way to carry out His administration through His Body. When we pray, we are a heavenly ambassador on earth with the extension of God's kingdom.
When we pray, we enter into the Holy of Holies and approach the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” Prayer is the way to come forward to the throne of grace. Coming forward to the throne of grace, we receive mercy and grace to meet our timely need. When we pray, approaching the throne of grace, mercy and grace will become a river flowing in us and supplying us. How rewarding this is! Receiving the flow of grace in prayer is actually more important than having our prayers answered. Whether or not our prayer is answered is secondary.
To receive this river of grace is to have our spiritual battery charged with heavenly current. The heavenly current, the divine electricity, is the Triune God as grace flowing out of the throne and into us. The supply and enjoyment this brings is unspeakable….This surely is a reward for persevering in prayer. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 581-582)
Today's Reading
If we seek the things above and have one living with Christ, we shall be wholly occupied with the enterprise of our Master. Our heart will be with Him in heaven, where He is interceding for the churches, supplying the saints, and administrating God's government. This will be our concern, our desire. If we take Christ as life and seek the things which are above in such a way, the lustful members will be put to death, the evil elements in the fallen soul will be put away, and the old man will be put off. Furthermore, we shall automatically put on the new man.Do you not aspire to be one with the Lord in the heavenlies and to have a heart that is one with His heart? Do you not long to be one with Him in His priesthood, ministry, and administration? I would encourage all the young people especially to care for God's purpose by seeking the things which are above and living together with Christ.
We expect that through the enjoyment of Christ the one new man will come forth and be expressed in a practical way. We do not want the new man merely in doctrine, but in reality and in practice. The new man does not come by way of organization. Something organized may be a society or a religion, but it is not the new man. The new man comes forth only by our taking Christ as our life and living together with Him.
I am happy that there are so many young people in the Lord's recovery. The recovery certainly has a glorious future. We all need to care for the Lord's interests. While He is praying in heaven, we respond in prayer on earth. Thus, we experience the transmission between Christ and us, a transmission that will make us happy and full of joy. Christ works in the heavens, and we work on earth. In this way, we not only enjoy Christ as the reality of our necessities, but we also take Him as our life and have one living with Him.
Our living with Christ is not aimless; it has a definite purpose. This purpose is to be one with Christ in His intercession for the churches, in His ministry of the heavenly life supply to the saints, and in His administration of God's government….The result of living together with the Lord in such a way is the new man…. The new man is the spontaneous issue of our taking Christ as our life and living Him. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 534-535)
Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 60