The Simple Secret of the Christian Life

Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

Why do Christians struggle and fail to live holy lives? This quote from Andrew Murray reminds us of the importance of God’s presence in the Christian life.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
(2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT)

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
(2 Peter 1:3-4 MSG)

I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
(John 10:10b MSG)

When I think of Christians who have sincerely struggled and failed to live holy lives, and who now have given up hope because they feel the temptations too powerful and their weakness too great, I long to tell them the simple secret of the Christian life. The presence of the Lord Jesus. That is the secret of the Christian’s strength and joy. When Jesus was present on this earth in bodily form it was His presence, the time He spent with His disciples, that trained and prepared them to serve Him. And, when it was time for Him to leave them, the one promise He made to them was: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

What a promise! And just as really as Christ was with Peter in the boat, just as Christ sat with John at the table, as really can I have Christ with me. And more really, for Christ was to them in bodily form, an individual separate from them, but I may have Christ glorified in the power of the throne of God, the omnipotent, omnipresent Christ.
What a promise! You ask, How can that be? And my answer is, Because Christ is God, and because Christ after having been made man, went up into the throne and the Life of God. And now that blessed Christ Jesus, with His loving, pierced heart; that blessed Jesus Christ, who lived upon earth; that same Christ glorified into the glory of God, can be in me and can be with me all the days.
You say, Is it really possible for a man in business, for a woman in the midst of a large and difficult household, for a poor man full of care; is it possible? Can I always be thinking of Jesus? Thank God, you need not always be thinking of Him. You may be the manager of a bank, and your whole attention may be required to carry out the business that you have to do. But thank God, while I have to think of my business, Jesus will think of me, and He will come in and will take charge of me. That little child, three months old, as it sleeps in its mother’s arms, lies helplessly there; it hardly knows its mother, it does not think of her, but the mother thinks of the child. And this is the blessed mystery of love, that Jesus the God-man waits to come in to me in the greatness of His love; and as He gets possession of my heart, He embraces me in those divine arms and tells me, “My child, I the Faithful One, I the Mighty One will abide with you, will watch over you and keep you all the days.” He tells me He will come into my heart, so that I can be a joy-filled Christian, a holy Christian, and an useful Christian. You say, Oh! If I could only believe that, if I could think that it is possible to have Christ always, every hour, every moment with me, taking and keeping charge of me!
It is just literally this that is my message to you. When Jesus said to His disciples, “Surely I am with you always,” He meant it in the fullness of the divine Omnipresence, in the fullness of the divine love, and He longs right now to reveal Himself to you and to me as we have never seen Him before.
And now just think a moment what a blessed life that must be—the presence of Jesus always with you. This is the secret of peace and happiness. If I could just attain (that is what each heart says) to that blessed state in which every day and all the day I felt Jesus to be watching and ever keeping me, oh, what peace I would have in the thought, “I have no care if He cares for me, and I have no fear if He provides for me.” Your heart says that this is too good to be true, and that it is too glorious to be for you. Still you acknowledge such a life would be wonderful. Fearful one, erring one, anxious one, I bring you God’s promise, it is for me and for you. Jesus will do it; as God, He is able, and Jesus is willing and longing as the Crucified One to keep you in perfect peace. This is a wonderful fact, and it is the secret of joy unspeakable. ▲