subject: How to hit a homerun and know who really lives in your life [print this page] How to hit a homerun and know who really lives in your life
Martin Luther (1483-1546) for years had a warrant for his arrest. Having crossed the pope he became a marked man. One day a soldier came to his home to take him into custody. When Luther answered the door the soldier asked, "Who lives here?"
Luther simply answered, "Christ lives here."
His response is nothing short of profound; recognition of what Watchman Nee said when he described true faith as a faith of replacement. As Nee often shared when we surrender our life to God our old life doesn't simply take a backseat but is instead replaced by the life of God.
The Apostle would state it this way, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).
Mother Teresa lived as an amazing expression of the replacement life. Even in her eighties and with failing health she traveled to some 100 nations in a single year to share about the love of God.
Or consider Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) who left everything comfortable and familiar to move to China that he might share the gospel amongst the Chinese in a time when missionary activity there was severely restricted.
With countless challenges before him he shared, "I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient."
In baseball the best hitters miss the ball 70% of the time. It takes a mere 4/10 of a second for a fastball to travel from the mound to the plate.
Studies have broken down the sequence of that brief moment. It takes 1/10 of a second for a player to decide to swing. Another 2/10 of a second are used up initiating the swing, with the final 1/10 being used to finish the swing.
The best hitters are able to read the pitcher's body language to know where the pitch is going before the ball is released. In the end it is a split second decision that makes the difference between a homerun and a missed opportunity.
Cleveland minister Alistair Begg offers this advice when it comes to spiritual growth, "Read yourself full." Indeed, as we learn from other people's insights and become inspired by their lives, we begin to notice more and more what it means for the new life to replace the old.
It all begins with a simple decision to declare, "Less of me and more of You." Then when someone asks, "Who lives here?" We can confidently reply, "Christ lives here."
