“The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves,” writes Jo Petty in her 1962 bestseller, Apples of Gold.
Bible expositor Cora Harris MacIlravy (circa 1916) writes, “As we look up that shining, living way, and begin to see faintly that which has been provided for us, we cling to the Rock in abandonment, in closer fellowship and communion.
Bible expositor Cora Harris MacIlravy (circa 1916) writes, “As we look up that shining, living way, and begin to see faintly that which has been provided for us, we cling to the Rock in abandonment, in closer fellowship and communion.
“As our eyes look upward and are fixed upon the recompense of the reward, unseen arms bear us over the hardest places and plant our feet upon the next higher step, which to us appeared so inaccessible.
"We feel the everlasting arms carrying us upward, upward, while we can only cling to the Rock, hide away in His pierced side, love and adore Him for the ‘exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.’
"We feel the everlasting arms carrying us upward, upward, while we can only cling to the Rock, hide away in His pierced side, love and adore Him for the ‘exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.’
“Not only are we protected, but there are rivers of water flowing out of the Rock, and the Rock follows us. All through our journeys in the wilderness here below, the Rock, Christ Jesus, follows us as we drink abundantly of living waters.
“In Him is all we need, and if by faith, we take that place and abide there, we shall have everything that God has for us, and we can have it no other way. It is not easy to go up that shining way, but it is blessed.
"It is not an easy path, but it is wonderful; and it becomes more wonderful as we more fully understand that we are upon the stairway, which will bring us from earth to Heaven, from weakness and humiliation to strength and glorification.
"It is not an easy path, but it is wonderful; and it becomes more wonderful as we more fully understand that we are upon the stairway, which will bring us from earth to Heaven, from weakness and humiliation to strength and glorification.
“O precious clefts, O wondrous secret stair, which can only be found when new vision is given at the new birth! . . . What strength and power, what refreshing and holy swiftness are to those who ever abide in the clefts of the Rock, and hasten upon that hidden stair, which their Beloved has set up for them through the shedding of His own blood.
“He calls her to set her face steadfastly toward Him, to run with patience the race that is set before her, looking away to Jesus who alone is the Author and Finisher of her faith. As she steadfastly obeys, she hears His voice speaking to her: ‘Thy countenance is beautiful, thou art fair, My love; there is no spot in thee. Come away.’ "
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"He has just told her that He is the Lily of the Valleys, then He describes His bride as a lily among thorns; harmless, yet upright and beautiful; spotless and fragrant. As He is, so must she be. He would have her conformed to His image, with His every attribute adorning her and with every likeness to Him perfected; with every perfume and beauty manifested upon her life and in her life . . .
"She must be harmless, yet steadfast. She must be humble, yet standing in pure dignity. She must be upright and beautiful, contending earnestly for the Faith once for all delivered unto the saints. . .
"All that would wound, all that is unworthy, all that is uplifted must find no place in her. She must be tender, worthy in His worthiness, humble before God and man . . . It is as He leads her down into the Valleys, where she is hidden away from the eyes of man, and where the living waters flow, that she is nourished and becomes as the lily.
"Only down there is the soil fertile; only there is the moisture found that flows down from the Everlasting Hills. Only down in the Valleys of humility, of meekness, of lowliness can these eternal lilies be found.
"As our precious Lord emptied Himself of His glory, so must we be emptied of all that would hinder us carrying out the will of God. He went down into these Valleys of humility and depths of suffering, that He might plant in the Valleys pure lilies unto Himself. He ascended to Heaven that He might transplant these lilies from the earthly wilderness to the heavenly terraces, where they will forever bloom in the Garden of the Lord . . .
"When we catch glimpses of the inward adorning, how our souls long to go down into every valley into which our Lord would lead us. As the hart pants after the water brooks, so our souls pant for the waters of life; and it is down in these Valleys of lowliness and abasement, that fountains of living water are found gushing forth from the Rock. These Valleys are ever watered from Eternal springs . . .
"There is a precious truth in here, which seems like a contradiction. The more we abide in these precious Valleys, the higher we go into the Mount of Revelation and dwell there. It is by going down into this place, that we become like Him, and are lifted higher and higher into His presence."
*****
*****
"He has just told her that He is the Lily of the Valleys, then He describes His bride as a lily among thorns; harmless, yet upright and beautiful; spotless and fragrant. As He is, so must she be. He would have her conformed to His image, with His every attribute adorning her and with every likeness to Him perfected; with every perfume and beauty manifested upon her life and in her life . . .
"She must be harmless, yet steadfast. She must be humble, yet standing in pure dignity. She must be upright and beautiful, contending earnestly for the Faith once for all delivered unto the saints. . .
"All that would wound, all that is unworthy, all that is uplifted must find no place in her. She must be tender, worthy in His worthiness, humble before God and man . . . It is as He leads her down into the Valleys, where she is hidden away from the eyes of man, and where the living waters flow, that she is nourished and becomes as the lily.
"Only down there is the soil fertile; only there is the moisture found that flows down from the Everlasting Hills. Only down in the Valleys of humility, of meekness, of lowliness can these eternal lilies be found.
"As our precious Lord emptied Himself of His glory, so must we be emptied of all that would hinder us carrying out the will of God. He went down into these Valleys of humility and depths of suffering, that He might plant in the Valleys pure lilies unto Himself. He ascended to Heaven that He might transplant these lilies from the earthly wilderness to the heavenly terraces, where they will forever bloom in the Garden of the Lord . . .
"When we catch glimpses of the inward adorning, how our souls long to go down into every valley into which our Lord would lead us. As the hart pants after the water brooks, so our souls pant for the waters of life; and it is down in these Valleys of lowliness and abasement, that fountains of living water are found gushing forth from the Rock. These Valleys are ever watered from Eternal springs . . .
"There is a precious truth in here, which seems like a contradiction. The more we abide in these precious Valleys, the higher we go into the Mount of Revelation and dwell there. It is by going down into this place, that we become like Him, and are lifted higher and higher into His presence."
*****
Here is an old article (editor's note: sorry for long absence. I have a new article I will definitely post tomorrow) on the same theme:
Three words, ‘in Christ Jesus,’ and variations such as ‘in Christ,’ or ‘in Him,’ are phrases used by Paul more than 130 times in his 13 epistles.
Three words, ‘in Christ Jesus,’ and variations such as ‘in Christ,’ or ‘in Him,’ are phrases used by Paul more than 130 times in his 13 epistles.
"It was the dominant thinking of Paul because in his mind being ‘in Christ Jesus’ is the essence of what Christianity is all about; it’s the essence of the grace of God and who we are," says Jordan.
“Christ is our life, our mind, our goal, our strength; He’s the sum total, the excellency of all that we have. In Christ—you’ve got to get the idea—is to be IN something. The idea is to be IN the sphere of something.
“I like to say we’re encapsulated. You see, if you were in a circle, that would be different. When you’re in a capsule, you’re surrounded with protection and then if a brick fell, what would happen? It would bounce off! You’re completely surrounded. That’s what it means to be ‘in Christ.’
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“God has chosen us IN HIM and we are made alive IN HIM,” writes Bible expositor Cora Harris MacIlravy. “We are new creatures IN HIM and are to walk IN HIM as we received Him, rooted and builded up IN HIM and established in our faith.
“We become the righteousness of God IN HIM, we are established IN HIM, and can do all things IN HIM that strengtheneth us. God always lead us in triumph IN HIM, making us a sweet savor of Christ unto God. IN HIM we have all spiritual blessings in heavenly places; as we abide IN HIM, we are made complete IN Him who is the Head of all principalities and powers. And we are made more than conquerors THROUGH HIM that loved us.
“It is as we realize upon the vital union which God has put between Christ, who is the ‘Chiefest of ten thousand,’ and us, who are members of His body, that this mighty Conqueror enables us to set up banners (floating over, His own peculiar banner, bearing His name, ‘Love’) through the power of His work upon Calvary. Thus is He glorified.”
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Paul says in Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
“I used to struggle with this verse, wondering, ‘What does it mean?!’" admits Jordan. "Then it dawned on me it means exactly what it says. What a thought!
"If I’m standing in a circle, I’m not hid and you can see me. It’s just on one plane. But if I’m in a capsule and ‘hid with Christ,’ I’m totally submerged inside of God with Christ!
"You know what that is? That’s security! That means I’m safe and secure inside of Him from any harm; any foes on the outside. And I’m completely supplied by everything that’s in the capsule.”
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