«　WEEK 4　DAY 4　»

　　Rom. 6:5 For if we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, indeed we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

　　11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a fellow partaker of the root of fatness of the olive tree.

　　This grafted life…is not an exchanged life…The branch still retains its same essential characteristics, but its life is uplifted and transformed by being grafted to the better life. What are the results of the grafting? When the fatness of the better tree supplies the grafted branch, all the negative things are taken away. Then the original function of that branch is restored and strengthened… [Christ] uplifts the original function that God had for us, strengthening and enriching it. Then naturally and spontaneously, our whole being is saturated and transformed, and a marvelous fruit comes forth. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” pp. 285-286)

　　As the divine life works within us to transform and conform us, it discharges the negative element within us. For this reason, we do not need anyone to adjust us. The divine life works in us to gradually eliminate whatever is negative or natural.

　　The divine life [also] resurrects us…Whatever God creates is good. Instead of giving up His creation, God will reclaim it and restore it by the resurrection power of the divine life. As the divine life discharges the negative things, it works to resurrect God’s original creation. God created us with a mind, emotion, will, soul, heart, and spirit, and He intends to bring all these aspects of our being into resurrection. Before we were saved, we may have been dull in the mind, unbalanced in the emotion, improper in the will. But the more we contact the Lord and experience Him, the more our mind becomes clear and sober, the more our emotion becomes properly balanced, and the more our will becomes adjusted. This is not our natural character, but a resurrected character.

　　Christians should not be of low character. Wherever we may be, we should display the highest character, because our natural faculties have been uplifted by the divine life. In order to experience this in a full way, we need to be faithful to contact the divine life within us. If we are faithful to do this, our character will be uplifted.

　　Furthermore, as the divine life discharges, resurrects, and uplifts, it supplies the riches of Christ to our inward parts. For this reason, many who love the Lord become very keen in their mentality. Although certain brothers and sisters may give themselves to attend all the meetings of the church, they are still outstanding students in school because their resurrected and uplifted faculties are supplied with the riches of Christ.

　　Finally, the divine life will saturate our whole being. This saturation is much better than inspiration. Eventually, our entire being will be soaked with the divine life. This brings about transformation. The riches of Christ saturate our being and cause a genuine metabolic change. By this saturation of the divine life we are conformed to the image of Christ.

　　The divine life is prepared and able to do such a work within us. But we need to exercise ourselves concerning what the Lord has shown us. We need to be faithful to contact Him, to pray to Him, to read the Word, and to breathe Him in. To do these things is to set our mind on the spirit (Rom. 8:6). When our mind is set on the spirit, no part of our inward being will be separated from the spirit. This will give the divine life a free way to discharge the negative element, to resurrect, uplift, and supply our faculties, and to saturate every part of our being. Concerning this, we need to pray for ourselves, for others, and for all the local churches. May we be faithful to live and walk according to what we have seen. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 683-685)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” chs. 58-59, 75; Life-study of Romans, msgs. 64-65