Day 10 - The Eradication Of Self

You will never be able to live the Christ-life, an imitation of him, relying on your own efforts. But Christ has promised to come into your heart and live in each and every one of us who invites him in.

In order that you can reach a point where Christ is dwelling in your heart, to the extent that you can then live his life, you will have to first get rid of your own me-life. There will have to be an eradication of self so that Christ can have room to get in and really affect your living.

Any one of us can live the life of Christ in this world; this is an amazing truth and very possible, but there is a secret to achieving this happy state - it is our ceasing to live our own me-life, making room for Christ to live in us, that allows it to happen.

Imagine in front of you a hollow bronze figure in the shape of a person. We will fill this hollow figure with a viscous substance and we shall call that substance your 'me-life'.

This life substance flows into and fills every nook and cranny and is used to move the hands and feet, eyes and ears, the figure's lips and tongue. It will use and manipulate every member of our bronze figurine, but it will use them mainly in the interest of its own self. It may occasionally give the appearance of directing the figurine to help others but this is most usually a façade - the one being really helped through life is oneself.

Now, imagining your seeing the bronze from God's viewpoint, you want to make changes; you want that bronze figurine to think, speak and act for you alone, and for no one else. The first thing you will have to do is rid the bronze of the substance that currently drives and controls it's life. Then you will have to clean it out completely on the inside and then climb into the figurine yourself.

Once inside, you can use all the functions and features of that bronze figure for yourself; but not just to do your will but much more than that - to be like you. Your body, albeit covered in bronze, becomes that bronze figurine.

So now we can say that there used to be a life in you which utilised all the bits and pieces that go to make up a human being, all in your own interest. But things have changed. You were made a new creation.

The life you once had was put to death, crucified. Then Christ came and stepped into your heart. And now he uses all the members of your body for himself. You still live, yet not you, but Christ lives in you. Once you did things for yourself; now you do them for Christ.

Once you lived purposely and intentionally just for yourself. You led the 'me-life'. You might well have done things for other people but it would almost certainly have been because of the pleasant earthly rewards of self-gratification or to satisfy feelings of guilt, loyalty and faithfulness. Most deceiving of all, you were doing things out of what you saw as your Christian duty.

Now you do things purposely and intentionally for Jesus, because it is he that lives, and not you yourself.

Do you remember planning for yourself, late at night when you had gone to bed and again in the morning and off and on during the day? You would have been wondering what you were going to eat or drink, what you were going to wear and what you were going to do or say at work.

But now you are changed; you are a new creation. Now it is not you that lives, but Christ who lives in you. Now you go, not where self would lead you, but where that life in you loves to go and wants you to go with him.

This new journey may lead you to high and important places where men may look up to you and crave your wisdom but, on the other hand, you may be equally content to be a quiet wayside bush, holding God's holy fire.