Living From Christ, Not For Him
Inspired by insights from The Green Letters by Miles J. Stanford
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority."
— Colossians 2:9–10
Imagine a grand estate gifted to you—a sprawling property, fully furnished and stocked with everything you could ever need. Yet instead of stepping into the house, you stand at the front gate, continually asking the owner for food, shelter, and rest. How unnecessary—and even insulting—it would be to the one who has already provided all these things in abundance.
This is often how we approach God. We plead for what He has already given in Christ. The Christian life is not about begging for strength, power, or help to live as God desires. It’s about appropriating what is already ours through Christ’s indwelling life.
Miles Stanford, in The Green Letters, challenges us to move beyond the “help” stage of spiritual growth. He writes, “God’s means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker.” Why? Because God doesn’t just provide help—He is the very life within us. As Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Living in the Victory Already Won
Our position in Christ is one of completeness (Colossians 2:10). We are not striving for victory over sin; we are resting in His victory. Watchman Nee explains, “God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man but by crucifying him.” In other words, the Christian life is not about improving the old self but about living from the new life we already have in Christ.
The struggle comes when we forget this truth and try to live by self-effort. As Stanford warns, “Satan’s great device is to drive earnest souls back to beseeching God for what God says has already been done.” Our responsibility, then, is not to strive but to rest—rest in the assurance that God has already provided everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
The Power of Appropriation
Faith is not passive; it is active appropriation. It is claiming, with gratitude, what is already ours in Christ. Andrew Murray captures this beautifully: “Even though it is slow, and with many a stumble, the faith that always thanks Him not for experiences, but for the promises on which it can rely—goes on from strength to strength.”
When we face temptation, weakness, or discouragement, our response is not to beg God for power but to confidently declare, “Lord, You have already overcome this. I rest in Your finished work and trust You to live through me in this moment.”
A Prayer of Trust in Christ’s Sufficiency
Father,
Thank You for giving us everything we need in Christ. Thank You that we are not striving for victory but living from Your finished work. We rest in the truth that You are not a helper outside of us but the very life within us. Thank You for crucifying the old self and making us new creations in Christ. Today, we trust You to live through us, confident in Your sufficiency for every challenge we face. Amen.
Final Thought
The Christian life is not about asking for more but about realizing and appropriating all we already have in Christ. Like the one who owns the estate, let us enter fully into what He has already provided, living not for Him but from Him.