Dear Reader
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)
This is what some may call the “proper Christian experience,” but before Paul could say, “For me to live is Christ,” Christ had to live in him! Although here Paul states that for him to live is Christ, he says elsewhere, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me.” What a wonderful thing for him to say: “Christ lives in me.” Is Christ just? Christ lived in him. Is Christ righteous? Christ lived in him. Is Christ gracious? Christ lived in him. Is Christ compassionate? Christ lived in him. Is Christ merciful? Christ lived in him. He is not righteous at the expense of grace. He is not gracious at the expense of truth. Christ lived in him. That was the impression produced by the power of the Spirit of God in him, and therefore the expression was “for me to live is Christ.” Oh, what a Christian experience, willing to live down here in his present circumstances to bring glory and honor to Christ.
The great thing for us is to seek to “live Christ,” to walk humbly and in great fear, but the greatest fear of all is ourselves. The worst enemy is within, and therefore what we want is simply to look to Christ: that He might command the vision of our souls, that He might be the object of attraction for us, and that He might govern and command us as we are passing through this world. Our time is short. We are here for a little time—to live for Him. That is our purpose for being here. By and by, when we have been in heaven ten thousand years, we shall still go on forever to sing His praise. The great thing now is to walk in His fear, simply, quietly, and calmly; to seek grace at His hands; to walk in His steps; and to pass through the world with the smile of God, with the commendation of God. For the Christian experience is the experience produced in a Christian by the Spirit of Christ.
It is our prayer that the Lord will use Toward the Mark to help you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him.
Please keep praying for the Lord’s blessing on Toward the Mark.
Yours in our soon-coming Lord,
Emil S. Nashed
Please send your questions and comments to:
Toward The Mark
c/o Wayne Christian Assembly
60 Smith Lane
Wayne, NJ 07470-5354
Attention: Emil S. Nashed
www.towardthemark.org
