You Can’t Live It Without Him

"But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus." - Ephesians 4:20–21 (NKJV)

No true life change happens without Jesus Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 4:20, “You have not so learned Christ.” Notice he does not say you have learned about Christ. He says you have learned Christ. You received Him. You heard Him. You were taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus.

The only way to experience real life change is to receive Jesus Christ, so that the power of Christ comes inside of you in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5 talks about the fruit of the Spirit. That fruit is the outgrowth of something already alive inside the believer. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. All things have become new. Something on the inside is genuinely different.

You can take a person who has never received Jesus Christ, and they can read passages in the Bible that talk about life change and decide, "I am going to be a better man. I am going to stop lying. I am going to stop stealing. I am going to stop holding onto bitterness. I am going to forgive people and do what is right." But they cannot keep it up.

D.L. Moody once said "You could see without eyes and hear without ears just as easily as you could live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit." The Christian life is not "hard" or "difficult". It is impossible. So what is the answer? Receive the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:14 says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.”

Put on Jesus. Receive Him into your heart. That is where the life and the power comes from to live the way He has called you to live.

It is not about doing more for Him. It is about bowing your knee and saying, "Jesus, don’t just be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be the One in charge." And He promises to come into that person's life and plant the seed of His Holy Spirit on the inside. Little by little, over the years, you realize something is happening.

I remember a little chorus that we used to sing in church:

"I've got something on the inside, working on the outside, Oh what a change in my life." 

An Eskimo had two dogs, one white and one black. He would bring them down from the mountain, set them to fighting, and let the villagers gamble on which one would win. One weekend the black dog would win and the next the white dog would win. No one could figure out the pattern. The only one who walked away with the money every single weekend was the Eskimo himself.

Finally, someone pulled him aside and demanded to know his secret. He said, “That is easy. The week before a fight, I feed one dog very well all week long, and I starve the other. The dog that is starved is always defeated. Whichever one I feed is the one who wins.”

You and I are trying to live the Christian life in our own power. If we have never received the life of God on the inside, it is impossible.

I will never express the patience of Jesus until I first have Jesus inside of me.

I will never express His love, His forgiveness, His gentleness if I do not first receive Him.

The Christian life is not about trying harder. It is about receiving Jesus Christ, and allowing Him to live His life through me.

Reflection Question: What are you trying to produce in your life through your own strength that only Jesus can produce through the power of the Holy Spirit?

Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength. I cannot manufacture Your love, Your patience, Your forgiveness, or Your gentleness by simply trying harder. Jesus, I need You. I want You to be more than my Savior. I want You to be my Lord. I want You to be the One in charge of every area of my life. I want to receive You and allow Your life to be lived through me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: The Path to True Life Change (Eph. 4:17-24)