Life in the Word
The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. By His word Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be the source of their power.HLv 259.3
As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the Word of God. As we must eat for ourselves, so we must receive the Word of ourselves. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His Word. We should take one verse, ascertain the thought God has put in that verse for us, and dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own.HLv 259.4
In His promises and warnings, Jesus means me. God so loved the world, that He gave His Son, that I by believing in Him, might not perish, but have everlasting life. The experiences related in God's Word are to be my experiences. Prayer and promise are mine. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. As faith thus assimilates the principles of truth, they become a part of the being and the motive power of the life. The Word molds the thoughts and enters into the development of character.HLv 259.5
God will make precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. As they feed on His Word, they find it is spirit and life. The Word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit comes as a Comforter. By God's grace, the disciple becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is eating the Bread that comes down from heaven.HLv 260.1
Christ knew the character of those who claimed to be His disciples, and His words tested their faith. He declared that they were to believe and act on His teaching and be conformed to His character. This involved the relinquishment of cherished ambitions. It required complete surrender to Jesus. They were called to become self-sacrificing, meek and lowly in heart, to walk in the narrow path traveled by the Man of Calvary.HLv 260.2