THE SECRET PLACE OF UNION WITH CHRIST
The deeper life of real and abiding faith in Jesus is hidden from the eyes of men, yet open and radiant before God. It is the inward abiding of the soul in Christ, where the heart learns to rest not in its own strength, but in the sufficiency of Another. Many speak of following Him, yet few understand what it is to dwell in Him. For the call of the Lord is not merely to walk after Him at a distance, but to live in Him as the branch lives in the vine, drawing all its life from His fullness (John 15:4-5; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3).
This union is not attained by striving, nor is it preserved by human effort. The soul that would know it must first come to the end of itself. It must lay down every confidence in the flesh, every reliance upon its own wisdom, and yield wholly to the working of the Spirit. For it is written that we are complete in Him, and that in Him dwells all the fullness of God, given to us by grace (Colossians 2:9-10). We have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). The more deeply we see our own insufficiency, the more freely His sufficiency becomes our portion.
Yet this abiding is not passive in the sense of indifference. It is a living surrender, a continual turning of the heart toward Christ. The soul must learn to look unto Jesus in all things, not only in moments of need, but in every breath of its existence. As the Bible declares that we are to pray without ceasing and to set our minds on things above, so the life of union becomes a steady, quiet fellowship with Him who dwells within (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Colossians 3:1-2). In this fellowship, the heart is kept in peace, and the will is gently conformed to His will.
There is a sweetness in this hidden life that the world cannot give, nor take away. It is the peace of Christ ruling in the heart, the assurance that we are kept by His power and not our own. Trials may come, and the outward man may be pressed on every side, yet the inward man is renewed day by day, strengthened by the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). The soul that abides in Him finds that even suffering becomes a means of deeper communion.
Beloved, the Lord does not call you to a distant admiration of His life, but to a present participation in it. He invites you into the secret place, where His Spirit teaches you to live from Him, through Him, and unto Him. As you yield yourself fully to Him, you will find that He Himself becomes your life, your strength, and your joy. And in that sacred union, the fruit of His life will be manifested in you, not by effort, but by the quiet working of His grace.
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O Lord Jesus, draw me into that secret place where I may abide in You and You in me. Keep me near to Your heart, that I may know the sweetness of Your presence and bear fruit unto Your glory. Amen.
BDD
