LIVING
CLOSE TO THE
THRONE
by Norman P. Grubb
A n d t h e L ord s a id u n t o M oses , Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Is rael, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (Ex. 14:15, 16). “Why do you ask Me to do it? Do it yourself,” God was saying, in real ity. to Moses. “ Stretch out your rod and divide the sea.” In other words, Moses had said to God, “You do it” ; but God answered Moses, “No, you do it” (cf. Ex. 14:15, 16). A glance through the Bible or Christian biog- raohy multiplies instances of this by the thousand: Jerem iah , G ideon, Hudson Taylor, and the like. In the settlement of this controversy lies the key to all spiritual power and achievement throughout history. Man starts on the Christian high way with much of the graveclothes of the Fall upon him. Separation from God has been a stark reality to him. He knows the weakness of the flesh. Visible lack and need are more concrete to him than invisible fullness and supply. He knows the reconciling grace of God through Christ, conveying to him the assur ance of adoption into God’s family; but his expressions and attitude still
contain the consciousness of separa tion. He makes the analogy of the members of one family, but distinct and separated members: “ I am weak. He is strong.” “ I have need. He has supply.” “ I am of the earth, earthy. He is the Lord from heaven.” JOINED TO CHRIST But to those who have ears to hear and hearts set to follow comes a new word: “ Say not, I am a child.” “Go in this thy might.” Say not, I am weak, I am carnal, I am needy, I am earthy. Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead. Understand that the Lord is joined unto you, one spir it. Understand that you have the mind o f Christ. Understand that the life of Christ is ever flowing in and through you as the sap of the vine through the branches. Do not keep asking for what you already have. Do not sing “ I need Thee, oh, I need Thee.” Sing, “ I have Thee, oh, I have Thee.” Never waste breath by asking Him to be near you, Who is already within you, joined to you in such a union that you and He are de scribed as “ one spirit.” Do not cry for what you already have, but use it, use it. “Wherefore criest thou unto me? . . . stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it.” Speak out the word of faith. Ex ercise the authority o f God.
CHRIST'S WORD OF AUTHORITY Christ spoke such a word as this. He spoke it once to a fig tree, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever” (Mk. 11:14). Next day Peter noted that it had withered, and he commented, “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.” Now note what Christ said, in effect: “You go and do the same. I spoke the word of authority with which I am equipped by the indwell ing Father (cf. John 14:10). Now you speak it also.” His actual words were, "Have the faith of God. For verily I say unto you, That whoso ever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; . . . he shall have whatsoever he saith.” “ Have the faith of God” is the lit eral rendering, as in the margin of the Authorized Version, and this conveys the vital meaning more clearly than just “Have faith in God,” as in the Authorized Version text. For to “have faith in God” means to many just a reliance on the ability of God in His heaven and a leaving it to Him to do it. But to “have the faith of God” means to recognize an indwelling God (as Jesus did in the instance cited above), to realize that we have His mind, and that by the inspiration of
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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