The Life contrary to this life

We are living in a time when people everywhere are getting self-contented on the natural lines. There is not that definite cry or prayer within the soul that makes them cease from everything and cry out for God and the coming of the Son. We have become a people who have lost their zeal and passion for God. We think we have everything we need.

But, there is SO much more.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12 NIV)

Life. 

Life is one of those positions in Christ which is absolutely different from death. Life has everything in it to make people long for. 

Death has everything in it that makes people shudder from. 

And this light of the life of the Spirit is an absolute position where God has designed for us to live free from the law of sin and death. 

He that lived to himself should die. He that seeks to live would die, but he that is willing to die will live. - Wigglesworth

Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. John 12:25

When we become discontented with this life, 

when we know there is something so much greater, 

when we realize there is a life contrary to this one, 

we can lessen our attachment here, on natural lines. Then we can begin to move toward the life that was truly designed for us to live. 

This place where "the blessing of The Lord makes us rich and adds no sorrow with it." Proverbs 10:22

God wants us to see that there is a life contrary to this life. 

Life lived in condemnation brings death. 

But life lived free from condemnation brings Life!

This is life lived in the Spirit. 

The Spirit gives life, Zoe, the abundant life in which nothing is missing and nothing is broken. 

"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:6

When Christ was born, 

He became God's Word manifested in the flesh. 

He became a living a epistle so Christians could know that this life is not only possible but that it comes with all the glory of the cross. 

When we partake of this new life IN Christ, we can now partake of His finished work. He died, so that we might live, not just in eternity but so we can live a fulfilled life here. So that we might become the righteousness of God. 

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. " 2 Corinthians 5:21

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

Christ came as the new covenant to break the old covenant of law. The law was given in a time of total chaos in hopes of bringing order to an unruly people. But it produced religion and a life bound to a set of rules that could truly never be obeyed. 

Jesus showed that when He said, if you think it, you have committed it. 

When He came as a sacrifice He came to bring life through the new covenant and to disguard the law. 

For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3, 4 NIV)

This new covenant brought life, this contrary life free from fear, condemnation and death. 

This blessed life is one kept IN Christ. 

We must die to our self, our ideas and even our way of thinking and instead arise with new life, the life of Christ within us growing ever closer to the godhead, our Heavenly Father as we are continually transformed into His image. 

 

"Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: "(Colossians 2:12, 14, 18-20 NIV)

 

If we have really died with Christ to the principles of this world, why would we still let rules dictate us, as though we were still living in the world?

 

We don't live by a set of rules, we live by the love of our Father. 

 

"I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8 NIV)

By choosing a life contrary to this life we are telling God that although His ways are higher than ours, we choose His and although His words are higher than ours, we choose His! We love Him and therefore we want to seek His plan for our lives and obey Him.
 

"He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

It's not always easy, but it is a rewarded life. It is not one of drudgery. We are rewarded with spiritual gifts and physical wholeness which we could never have without Him; perfect peace, unconditional love, perfect health, wealth without sorrow, and true joy; His joy, as it becomes our strength. Through this new awakened life we are able to make others see that while we may be in this world, we are NOT of it. 

This contrary life requires sacrifice but again brings much greater rewards. Our offering is brokenness in exchange for His offering of wholeness.
"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." Psalm 51:17
 

When we make this decision to sacrifice our hopes and dreams and instead choose His, there are many rewards. Jesus says it plainly here:

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.' Matthew 19:29 NIV

When we lay down our desires for His, we are dying to our will, to our plans and instead choosing His. We are dying to self will and choosing God's will. 

In making this decision on a daily basis, we find ourselves becoming more and more God conscious 

not Self conscious. 

This new life is contrary. And when contrary meets ordinary there will be arguments and/or disagreements. Jesus came in the flesh and dwelt among men and was hardly ever recognized as the Son of God. 

The world missed Him.
He came as a baby, born to a virgin and lived as a simple carpenter.
He did not come on clouds of glory, arrayed in white robes and jewels. 

He came as humility. 

"God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." 

"God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are,

so that no one may boast before him."

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts but that doesn't mean we are not meant to strive for His ways and His thoughts. 

We can never arrive at this place of Kingdom thinking without God's Word and revelation from the Holy Spirit. 

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 

We must spend time in the Word, we must spend time seeking God, we must spend time in Holy communion with our heavenly Father so that we can understand His Will so that His Kingdom will come and His will be done on this earth as it is in heaven.
This choice must be the spiritual life over the natural one,
the life contrary to this life.

There will always be a war as long as we are choosing a path higher than this natural one.  

Just as Wigglesworth stated over 100 years ago, 

"Pentecost, since it came, has been spoken against, and if there is not someone rising up against you, if there is not a war on, it is a bad job for you.

If you are not making the people mad or glad, there is something amiss with your ministry. 

If you leave people as you found them, God is not speaking by you." 

When we move into this kingdom realm, the life contrary to this life, we can understand, 

That the truth that is hidden in us, is greater than us and this brings forth the manifested power of God. It is not in human nature, but in the power of God. 

God is greater than our hearts, greater than all things, let us rise and give ourselves to God. 

Let us choose a life contrary to this one! 

So that His kingdom will come and His will be done on this earth as it is in heaven.