Channels of Life

Jesus was driven by His desire to do God’s will. In John 6:35-40, He speaks about not doing His own will but the will of the Father who sent Him. In this connection, I’m often reminded of the words of Paul and his personal testimony. It seems to me that in many ways Paul came as near to following Jesus as almost any man did. In 2 Corinthians 4, verses 10 through 12, Paul says this about himself and the way his life worked out:

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (NIV)

Let me say those last words again: "Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." Believe me, the world needs channels of life, but there’s a price to pay. If you want to be a channel of life to others, death has first to work in you. We cannot have it any other way. We cannot change the order. Death is at work in us, then life is at work in you. I’m here not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. The will of Him who sent me is to feed a hungry world. The will of Him who sent me is to give life to a dying world. If I will renounce my own will and if I will pursue with single-hearted devotion the will of God as revealed for my life, then I too, in my own measure, can be food for a hungry world, and life to a dying world. But not while I am concerned to do my own will.