Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10-11).
As I mentioned yesterday, Zoe is the Greek word for the life of God manifested in the believer in the new birth. Zoe is the nature of God placed within the believer. Given opportunity, this life will begin to crowd out the works of the flesh and the harshness of personality and will produce stability and fruitfulness in the believer.
This life must be nurtured and not ignored. Believers that ignore this Zoe and refuse to do the things necessary to cause it to grow within them remain spiritual infants, with selfish traits and habits ruling their lives.
The food that nurtures this life of God is the Word! As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2). Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food (Job 23:12).
The Word causes us to be partakers of the Divine Nature of God Himself. 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).
The Word of God causes the life of God, this Zoe, to in you to grow. Doubt, fear, selfishness, unforgiveness, irritability, worry, lusts of the flesh, uncontrolled anger, lack of self-control, unrest, impatience etc., are signs of spiritual malnourishment. If we have these symptoms, the cure is a rich diet of the Word so we’ll grow spiritually and allow the Zoe inside to change daily living patterns! This Zoe life of God has to be nurtured and cultivated if it is to really make a difference in our conduct.
If we will allow this Zoe to grow and rule us, it will work its way into the fabric of our lives and change our habits, our dominant thoughts, our desires, our relationships, our interests, and our job performance! It will move us to be a better father, mother, husband, wife, employee, manager, friend, and we will be motivated by love in what we do.
When thinking about this Zoe life, the Lord reminded me of some centipede grass I planted in the yard of a house I had built years ago. I sowed some centipede grass seed in along with the fescue grass that I had planted for quick ground cover. It took some time, but the centipede eventually crowded out the fescue, hindering weed growth and literally taking over the entire yard! And that’s what Zoe will do if we allow it to grow in our lives. It will begin to choke the “weeds” of the flesh and the world that seek to rob us of spiritual vitality! In fact, it will not cease to worm its way into all of our dealings in life, and will move us to change areas that we’re slack in.
Zoe, the life God, changes life for the better. Let’s let it loose in us today by treating the Word of God as spiritual food. If we do, the Divine nature of Jesus will rise up and eventually overwhelm the weakness in our lives so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body!
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