Wade E Taylor
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us….” John 1:14
The eternal, living Word became the greatest revelation that God could ever give to man – the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin and dwelt among us in condescension as “Jesus of Nazareth,” which at that time was considered as being a place of reproach. As He walked the dusty roads of His day, the world saw a visible demonstration of the power and truth of the eternal Word.
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life… that which we have seen and heard declare we to you, that you also may have fellowship with us….” I John 1:1; 3
Each aspect of our life should be of such purity and quality that the “Word,” which we receive into our spirit, can find its full expression and fulfillment through us. The “written” Word is to become the “experiential” Word – a personal reality in our life experience, to be “seen” and “handled” by those who surround us.
This “witness” will encompass our consecration to the Lord, our walk with Him, our fellowship with the body of believers of which we are a part, and our relationship to the world in which we live. In each of these areas, that which the Lord has accomplished within us should be evident to others as a witness that will convict and draw them toward the Lord. We are the only Bible that many will ever read.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You shall be witnesses.” That is, we ourselves are this witness, as the visible expression of that which we are becoming. Our growth toward spiritual maturity is nurtured and established through the application of spiritual laws and truths to our lives. Israel saw the deeds of God, but Moses lived and walked in the ways of God, which became an integral part of Him. Through the life of Moses, Israel experienced the results of the Lord’s revelation to him; and only then could they begin to understand the manifested presence and power of God.
The “objective” truth that is within the written Word of God, or in that which is written about the Word of God, must become an “experiential” part of us as the world acts and reacts toward us. Only then will they see Jesus and they will again marvel and say, “Never man spoke like this man” (John 7:46).
Once our lives are fully committed to the Lord, each decision or choice that we make has a higher purpose behind it, which transcends its present effect. Once we begin to understand this, it will not only lead us toward spiritual maturity, but as we experience these things, we will be better able to help others.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
We remember most of our spiritual consecrations, because they are made at special times and have a recognizable purpose. We value these and hold them as being important spiritual landmarks. Along with these, there are the multitudes of seemingly unrelated choices that we are forced to make each day of our lives, which do not appear to us as having any lasting purpose or value. We tolerate these, but think concerning them, “If I could get past all these mundane things, then I would be able to seek that which has spiritual value and purpose.”
However, the Lord views these seemingly mundane decisions quite differently than we do, as these are not merely arbitrary choices that must be made along the pathway of life. From His perspective, these varied circumstances are purposely placed in our path so as to provoke us to make decisions that will affect the higher calling and purpose of the Lord for us. It is important for us to understand this process, so we do not become discouraged, or turn away from these experiences or dealings when they do not seem reasonable or make sense to us.
The result of these decisions will then become an ingredient in the composition of the seed (that which we are becoming), which is being formed by the Lord within our physical frame – our “new creation” life.
“…Behold, a sower (the Lord) went forth to sow …” (the circumstances that require of us a decision or choice) Matthew 13:3
The Scripture tells us that we are predestined “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). The present development of this image can be pictured as being a seed that is being formulated within us, which progressively develops during our span of life. This seed contains all of the ingredients that are necessary to enable us to function in the age to come.
All that is needed for that which we have become to be fully revealed, is the “soil” – the atmosphere of heaven. Once we are there, our life in Him will be fully released from the husks of the present time of preparation, and we will function on the “level” that we have attained to while here, overcoming all of the pressures of life.
This can be compared to an apple seed. Every necessary ingredient – all that is needed to produce a tree that will yield a harvest of apples, is contained within this seed. Nothing needs to be added to it, as all that is required for it to develop into a fully matured tree is the right environment, and time.
We may become confused when our spiritual consecrations or decisions, which seemed so outstanding to us at the time, seemingly fade away with no lasting consequence. This is because we only see the present effect that these produced. We do not realize that these consecrations or decisions became an ingredient in the preparation of the seed that we are becoming. Nor are we able to see the fully matured tree (us) that will be released from this seed when it is lifted into the environment of His eternal presence.
Jesus said of this seed, that some “fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold” (Matthew 13:8). The 0utworking of the consecrations and decisions that we make throughout the span of our life, determines which of these gradations will apply to our eternal estate (thirty, sixty, or one-hundred).
The most important thing that I can do today, is to live in such a way that only the very best ingredients go into the make‑up of this seed that I am becoming. Most of the spiritual consecrations that I make will not come into the fullness of their intended purpose during the span of my life experience, as there is not enough time for this to happen.
However, these present spiritual consecrations and decisions are very important, and they have a vital part in the makeup, or “substance” of this seed, which will manifest in eternity that which we have become in relation to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In heaven, the “effect” that these consecrations and decisions had exercised upon us, will develop into their full fruition. There will be ample time then for the outworking of these experiences that the present allotted time was not able to accommodate. Much must be accomplished experientially within each one of us in order to bring us into a compatibility with heaven – the ability to function in the cooperative relationship with the Lord that He both desires and intends.
A vision, given to Ezekiel, revealed a man with a four-sided face (Ezekiel 1:6-10). From one side, he appeared to be as a lion; from the second, a man; from the third, an ox; and from the fourth, an eagle. Each of these views revealed the same man, yet each demonstrated a different quality within his makeup. This vision was repeated to John in Revelation 4:6-7 as four living creatures, who picture the New Testament overcomer.
These four-sided heavenly views were the result of the outgrowth of a fully developed and matured seed. This understanding of the purpose of the Lord in forming a “seed” from the cumulative decisions, choices, and experiences of our present life experience is very important. It will both affect the quality of the decisions that we make in our every day experiences, and will help us to rightly interpret life.
From the Lord’s perspective, He will place within our pattern of life experience all of the circumstances that are necessary so as to enable us to make the decisions that will produce this fully developed “seed,” which the Lord desires us to become.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
A clearer understanding of these things will only be realized in the age to come, when this “seed” will be manifested as a life that has become like the “tree of life,” bearing all manner of fruit for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).
These, as overcomers, will rule with the Lord in the Millennial Kingdom.