Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Now, we are "in him" and he is "in us", yes. But what is our focus? Him, or us? Our strivings versus our rest, our experience and enjoyment? Christ then becomes a prop in our self-focused narrative. Our sensations take over, and we're convinced the "head rush" is the Holy Spirit (and it may indeed be, at least for a while) but eventually it's all about the head rush. Or the 'peace' or whatever. It's no longer about him, but about us. We claim it's about the indwelling Christ but it's about us.
The self is a yawning chasm, waiting to take us in.
Here is my example, given before, so I'll be brief. There is a hymn that says, "The Bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bridegroom's face". Yet we were continually (again I reference my LSM-mediated church life) told to look at our garment. Yet the only difference between the woman clothed in the Sun and the Great Harlot, is that one looks at her Maker and the other looks at Herself. Otherwise they are the same. So "look away" unto Jesus. Don't look at yourself. Enjoyment, misery, whatever. Look at him, and live.
That's my narrative anyway. But I don't impose it as a condition of fellowship.
Peace
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Of course - we're just sharing here, and hopefully gaining Christ in the process!
So here's something from the next little chapter of that Major Thomas book: "Faith means letting Him. You will never let Him until you are prepared to admit you cannot, and only God can." Without going into detail, let me say that in reading his materials, the focus really is on Christ, not on us . . . except to say we must let Him.