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The Omnipotent One, having an object in view, holds the universe together and is in full
control.
Having seen how the Lord Jesus Christ is first in the material and the spiritual orders,
having a goal in view and holding all things under His control, it is for us to give Him all
the glory and honour due to Him and to give Him the pre-eminence, or first place in our
lives. What have we omitted? In all things He might have the pre-eminence. Let us not
be content with giving Him the first place in some things. He must have the first place in
all things.
This brings us to the point where we consider how we can live up to this standard. Do
we put our Lord first in our lives? How easy to say or sing certain words, but how hard
to maintain them in practice. We sing "All for Jesus" or "Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold". Yes, we enjoy the tune, but can we put into practice what
we sing?
Our prayers may be offered in sincerity, but have we given sufficient thought to the
words we pray? In Eph. 3: 14-21 Paul prays "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith". What demands might be made if this prayer were answered? It is true that he also
prays,
"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with
might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3: 16).
We certainly need to be strengthened with might by His Spirit if we are to face up to
the consequences of the indwelling of Christ.
By way of a simple illustration, it is usual when receiving a friend who will stay in our
house for a few days, to say "Make yourself at home". Suppose this was taken literally,
and the friend changed everything in the home to suit his ideas? The furniture might be
moved around -- even a room might be redecorated to give effect to a different colour
scheme. If Christ dwells in our hearts, what changes would He make? Our thoughts,
intentions and plans would be subject to His direction.
But we might be disturbed when we think of our daily needs. When we think of the
indwelling of Christ, do we imagine that our thoughts would always be on spiritual
matters? Our Lord Jesus Christ certainly said "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon". He
told His disciples not to take anxious thought for the daily needs, and in Matt. 6: 33 He
added:
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you."
Paul write a similar word of encouragement:
"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 4: 19).