Devotional
How are you enjoying NHE’s weekly devotions? Are our studies together introducing, encouraging, and assisting you in drawing closer to Jesus; who shares His Life with us, who expresses His Life in, through, and for us? I hope so. In this newsletter I would like to share a verse from the Old Testament that defines the Exchanged Life. The phrase exchanged life is not in the Scriptures. So where did it originate?
The "Exchanged Life" was coined by the missionary pioneer to China, Hudson Taylor. It was used to describe the life changing experience he had while serving the Lord on the mission field. This experience has also been called the abundant life, the victorious Christian life, identification with Christ, the abiding life, the surrendered life, the crucified life etc. These same truths were taught by Watchman Nee as the Normal Christian Life.
Devotional writers, such as Andrew Murray, A. W. Tozer, and Oswald Chambers have written many books on the paradigm of Christ as our Life; and more recently by Dr. Charles Solomon as Exchanged Life Counseling and Dr. Charles Stanley as the Spirit- filled Life.
This Biblical concept of the "Exchanged Life" is our self life being exchanged for Christ's Life. Colossians 1:27 teaches us that "Christ in you is your hope (assurance) of glory (of daily experiencing God's presence and being like Him)".
The Exchanged Life is an expression for the biblical truth found in Isaiah 40:31; “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Have you ever been tired; physically or emotionally exhausted? Of course, there isn’t a soul that would deny such a statement. Isaiah speaks of a profound exception to the rule. He writes that there is a place where we can experience rest and strength, a place where we simply do not get tired regardless of how tough life gets.
I am not a Hebrew or Greek scholar but I would like to lead us on an amazing journey in Hebrew. Let me state up front once again. I am not the scholar this information is derived from. So bear with me as we walk. Let’s begin our walk with the phrase “shall renew their strength”. There are two words we need to examine in our quest for a deeper understanding. The word renew is literally translated ‘exchange’. The word strength is often seen throughout the Old Testament equivalent with life source. Together we can translate this phrase as – they shall exchange their life’s resources.
Who? What? Why?
This Scripture begins with a well known phrase to us all; “But those who wait upon the Lord...” The most interesting thought to this brain injured guy (me) is the word “wait”. The word wait literally is the Hebrew term for ‘rope’ meaning to braid together, wrap up in, entwine. Let’s put these two phrases together. Those who are able to exchange their strength and life resources are those who entwine themselves in Christ or according to Ron’s translation -- those who hog-tie themselves to the Lord. Another rendition could be, ‘those who intimately know and trust in Christ’ are empowered to live life out of Christ’s strength and resources.
What is the result for one who wraps themselves intimately in the Lord and exchanges their inadequacies, resources, self-worth, or values for the One who shares His worth, power, and resources with us? The adventure, the all consuming joy is that Christ expresses His life in and through us – even for us! We exchange our exhaustion for His strength and we get to ride on eagles wings and never grow weary or tired; in other words we never run out of steam for all that God intends us to accomplish for it is actually Christ who accomplishes life for us.
When? Now! When you and I live surrendered to the Lord He expresses His Life in, through, and for us. Praise God!
The Lord really convicted me of this recently. I was growing weary as a husband and a parent. My family is constantly telling me that the accident changed me. Granted, they are right. I just do not see the extent of the changes as they describe them. Nevertheless, I was growing weary and finding myself tired and exhausted, unable to carry on. Then I began to hear a voice that I have come to recognize as God’s voice calling me to stop trying to do His job and rest. In other words, I was trying to make my children obey, do their chores, respect their mother and other elders. The more I tried to enforce the rules the more I failed. Then the sweet Spirit spoke ever so softly through a book I was reading you can’t make your children be a Christian or even act like Christians. “You can’t make them obey or be respectful. You do not have the skill or the power to make them carry out their chores. That is My job! Your job is not to enforce my laws but to empower your wife and each of your children to carry them out. If you will do your job and watch Me do Mine you will no longer be tired, over extended, or exhausted. You will be blessed as I accomplish all I intend in the lives of your family.” By the way, the Lord reminded me that this is how I already live in relation to purity and how I teach freedom to others; He then spoke a little louder with an instructive voice and said, “empower others to live out of Grace for life, freedom, and purity in much the same manner you are learning with your family”.
Grace is what God is doing that you or I can never accomplish. It is my job to empower you to experience what God is doing instead of trying to control you. Living in grace is not about enforcement rather grace is about empowerment.
“They that rope Jesus and wrap up in Him will exchange their own strength and resources for His Life; they shall soar on eagle’s wings and never fatigue or collapse from pure exhaustion!” (Isaiah 40:31 Ron’s paraphrase)
