I got a book called “The Green Letters” by Miles J. Stanford from friends of mine living in Colorado. I knew them from Capernwray Quebec when I was working there a few years ago and they were the directors. They now work at Timberline (part of the same organization called Torchbearers International) and I have since started supporting them. I felt called to do so since I am raising support for myself. They gave me this book as a gift for Christmas a couple of years ago.
The theme of The Green Letters is “Not I, but Christ” (from Galatians 2:20).
I discovered that there were four other short books by Stanford, and they have been put together in one book, “The Complete Green Letters.” When I realized I liked the first book, I ordered the full book and continued where the first book left off.
I would like to share with you one of the chapters (among many) that have stood out to me so far from The Complete Green Letters. This chapter is titled “The Process of Confirmation.” While it sounds heavy, it can be summed up as knowing Jesus as life.
When our knowledge of Christ is off the mark, we will abide in the old sinful nature because that’s what we know best, Stanford says. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit will get our attention by making our existence “unbearable”. As it says in Romans 7:24-25, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Then how do we come to know Christ as our life? We get to know Christ through His Word and by the Holy Spirit. The apostle John says in 17:3, "This is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” And when we read Scripture, the Holy Spirit guides us. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
Too many people know God only through their circumstances and/or their (spiritual) condition, rather than the Word of God. Spiritual condition, here, is where we currently are in our walk with Christ. If someone asks you, “Where are you at with your faith?”, your answer is your spiritual condition. This is not to be confused with your spiritual position (spiritual condition versus position is another topic in this book). Your spiritual position is firmly established with Christ in heaven, never to be removed.
I’m sure I’m not the only one, but my knowledge of God has been off the mark at times. The following quote from Stanford hit me hard:
“They judge Him by what they feel he is doing for them or seemingly is not doing for them. Self-centered, they complain and flounder from failure to failure.”
I have felt that I do this with my relationship with God. I had become bitter towards God based on what he has/hasn’t done for me. But then the author says this:
“But when our knowledge of our Father is Bible-based, we are able to evaluate our circumstances and personal condition in the light of who he is. Then there is rest and joy in Him no matter what the situation may be. To know Him is to trust and love Him. Calvary is the proof of His love for us, even if there were no other indications or if all other indications were to the contrary.”
When we know God through his Word, we know we’ll be ok. We know we have everything we need in Him and can face any circumstance. “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32).
Despite this, we still find ourselves focusing on our old nature. But now we know that this is a sin. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:8 to think about what is “true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Stanford then says “Actually, all of these ‘things’, in their highest essence and reality, are centred in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thinking about these things will conform you to the image of Christ.
I hope this has encouraged you as it has for me.
