Spirituality Column #777

October 5, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

All Day Long

By Bob Walters

“Do you sense that Christ is yours all day long?” – Ray Stedman

Several years ago I piped up in a church Bible study group that I thought the key to knowing Christ and living with Jesus was to keep it simple.

The teacher looked horrified.

It’s been long enough ago that I remember barely any specifics of what we were discussing, nor the teacher’s barely audible response.  I only remember the teacher’s look. And it was a look that seemed mainly sad, and I don’t know if that was for my benefit or his.  We had generally, I think, been having one of those “How do we know we are Christian?” and “How do we know we are pleasing Christ?” type conversations.

I said something close to, and no more profound than, “Why worry about it?  The simplest thing is to trust Jesus.”  The teacher’s look and posture suggested, sternly, not only that my solution was inadequate, but a sadness that he knew he couldn’t do it.

Keep it simple, I mean. 

He trusted Jesus … but I sensed it was a great mental, spiritual, and emotional strain to accept whether he was “doing it right.”  He didn’t know, and when we don’t know, our joy in the Lord and comfort of the Holy Spirit grows thin and develops holes.

(As an FYI, for those of you who know me well, the teacher wasn’t George.)

Almost as many years ago (15? 16?) I got into the habit of reading Ray Stedman’s online daily devotional The Power of His Presence (link).  It is short, themed, free, focuses on one Bible book per month and one scripture passage per day.  Last month the book was 2 Corinthians, and the above quote appeared Sept. 24 suggesting we can sense Christ being ours “all day long.”  To me, that’s as simple as it gets.

All day long?  Yeah … you just live with Him.  I sort of liken it to a spouse who you don’t have to really think about to be with them in spirit all the time, because you just are.  Who forgets they are married?  Who doesn’t weigh their daily decisions and actions in consideration of their spouse?  Or their kids?  Or career or commitments?

Christ should be no different, except that Christ should be first.  I recently read a note somewhere that said a great marriage focuses on Christ, a good marriage focuses on your spouse, and a bad marriage focuses on yourself.  Any relationship on any terms can be trying, but Jesus being a part of our intimate, all-day-long daily life eliminates the need to go back to the Lord in prayer, saying, “Now where was I?”

You’re just there, and you live in your faith and in His light and truth.  The point isn’t that one’s life is easy, or without sorrow and challenges.  The point is the abiding bedrock trust in Jesus that leads one through life’s complications.  We may wonder, “What am I going to do?” Or, “What is Jesus going to do?”  Fair questions, but the simplest path to joy is knowing Jesus is right there at our sides all the time.

All we have to do is invite Him in, with love for Him and others.

If you let it, it’s as simple as that … all day long.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) offers this link to the 9/24 Stedman devotional The Simplicity Of Christ (2 Cor 11:3-15).  Also, Bob is now reading “Seeing is Believing” by scientist Michael Guillen (see column #776) and loving it.  Highly recommended!