by James H. McConkey
T JL hrough communion the Spirit of God anoints us with the life of God. This statement is closely knit to our description of communion: the daily looking unto Jesus for the continuous inflow o f His Divine life. Life comes through looking. Have you ever noticed the beautiful con nection between the stoiy of the Israelites in the wilderness, bitten with serpents, and looking for life to that serpent, and John 3:14,15, in which our Lord comments upon the same? As we read the story of the dying Israelites, we are told that they were bidden to look unto the serpent and they would re ceive life, and that as they looked the life came. Now, the Holy Ghost in speak ing of regeneration, takes up this illustration and goes on to say that “ as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that who soever”— you would think from the illustration that what would follow would be “ that whosoever looketh unto him”— because that is the pic ture of the wilderness illustration. But instead of that the divine writer by a quick turn of the metaphor says “ that whosoever believeth in him should receive eternal life.” What is the suggestion, what is the thought here? That believing in Jesus is simply looking unto Jesus for life. And the simplest
thought concerning faith, and the most beautiful description of it for your mind and mine, is simply that thought of the Israelite expectantly looking unto the serpent for life. That is what faith is. Faith is not a thing. Faith is not an emotion. Faith is an attitude, a posture. Faith is looking unto Jesus for life. Now, as by the act of faith we receive life, so by the daily, con tinuous attitude of faith by which we mean communion, we constant ly receive the inflowing life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as at the moment we expect antly look unto Jesus Christ in faith, we receive life, so all through our life we are to continue looking to Jesus Christ in the place of com munion for the continuous anoint ing with the life of God. “ Except a man drink my blood, he has no life.” And what was His blood? “ The blood is the life.” And Jesus meant that just as a man was re freshed and life came unto him day by day by constant drinking, so a man in his spiritual walk must be constantly drinking of the life of Jesus Christ in the secret place of prayer, of communion. This simple thought of looking unto Jesus is the core thought of communion with our Lord. As men who are spiritually dead in our selves, that is, in our old nature, and who are dependent on the life of Jesus Christ down-flowing from
heaven we are to be looking unto our living Jesus in these moments of communion in the solitude of our own closet, and keep drinking His life as a man drinks water to re fresh his soul. Here is a man who has an en dorser upon his note. The man who has given the note fails and be comes bankrupt. His creditors be gin to threaten him. One day there comes to him the rich man who has endorsed his note and says: “ Now, don’t trouble; don’t be concerned; just look to me to pay that note when it matures. You have no funds; you have no resources; you are helpless. All I ask is that you keep looking unto me.” Henceforth that man is simply looking to his endorser, and when the note comes due with nothing to meet it and himself utterly helpless, it is paid. This is a picture of our need of communion. In ourselves we are spiritual bankrupts. While we re ceive the life of God at conversion, yet in ourselves we are utterly de pendent upon Jesus Christ moment by moment for the anointing of His life, and as we look to Him in the place of communion His life does somehow flow into us. We, as God’s children, will acknowledge that of all the things of which we are con scious after the hour of prayer, and in the hour of prayer, the conscious ness of the presence of God’s Spirit in our hearts is the most real and
Prayer & Communion
Because o f the hubbub o f life we cannot hear the Spirit who speaks in a still, small voice
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