PARTAKING OF CHRIST IN THE LIGHT
In Col.1:12 Paul says that the Father has qualified us “for a share of the portion of the saints in the light.” God alone is light, we must turn to God and be in His presence in order to partake of Christ. We have been called into the marvelous light of God (1 Pet. 2:9).
The only way to partake of Christ and to enjoy Him is in the light. God and Christ are light. When we turn to the Lord and come into His presence, we are in the light and spontaneously begin to enjoy Him as our portion.
All Christians should read the Bible. However, it is possible to be in darkness even when we are reading the holy Word. We may read the Scriptures without being in the presence of the Lord. If we do this, the more we study the Bible, the more we shall be in darkness, removed from the Lord’s presence. The proper way to read the Scriptures is not only with the mind, but also with our seeking spirit, looking to the Lord’s countenance as we read. By pray-reading the Word we are brought into the Lord’s presence in this way. When we read the Bible in a pray-reading spirit, opening ourselves to the Lord, we are brought into His presence. Spontaneously we are in the light, and Christ becomes our portion.
Light is the presence of God. If we would be in light, we must turn to Him from within. Then His presence will become the shining light. In this way Christ becomes the portion of the saints in a practical way.
If we would fellowship with God, we must walk in the light (1 John 1:7). In many things we may be able to pretend, but in this matter of enjoying Christ in the light there is no room for pretense. You may deceive others, but you cannot deceive the Lord. He is too real, genuine, honest, and practical.
In Isaiah 2:5 the prophet sounded forth a call, “O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” During Isaiah’s time, the children of Israel were occupied with their religion, but they had lost the light of the Lord because their heart had turned from Him. They had the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices. But because they had turned their heart away from God, they were in darkness. They were not walking in the light. Therefore, Isaiah called them to come and walk in the light of the Lord. This was a call to repent and to confess in order to be brought into the Lord’s presence.
Psalm 36:8 and 9 describe a person who has returned to the Lord and who is in the Lord’s presence. Such a one is satisfied with the fatness of God’s house and drinks of the river of the Lord’s pleasures. He knows the Lord as the fountain of life, and in the light of the Lord he sees light. In this light the portion of the saints becomes his enjoyment. We need to abide in Christ and walk in the light of life (John 8:12) that we may partake of Christ in the light (Eph. 5:14).
We need to have more and more contact with the Lord. We need to read His Word with an unveiled face and an open heart. As we fellowship with the Lord and follow the inner anointing, we shall experience Him as the life within us in a practical way. This life is the light. If we follow the inner anointing, we shall be in light. We are also brought into the light by fellowshipping with others in a genuine way. In fellowship there is the shining of light. Moreover, we need to be in the church life and attend the meetings, for in the church and in the meetings we are in the light. In the meetings of the church we often have the sense deep within that we are in the light enjoying Christ as our portion. All these are means by which we may be in the light to enjoy Christ as the portion of the saints.