CHRIST,
SUFFICIENCY OF

RESPIRATORS are machines that do the breathing for you. If you are laid down on the hospital bed and there is a problem with your breathing, they put you on the respirator. If you insist on breathing on your own, the respirator does you no good. There’s only one thing you can do with the respirator—cooperate. Now, you are involved because it’s your lungs going up and down. It’s your mouth and nose that are taking in and expelling the oxygen. The two of you are working together but the respirator is doing the work; you are just cooperating with it rather than resisting it.

Christ wants to express His life through you and be your respirator. He does not want you being your own respirator because then you don’t need Him. He doesn’t want to do it apart from you, so you must cooperate. You must yield yourself to the person of Christ. We have too many Christians today hyperventilating in the spiritual life.72

[Surrender, Concept of; Grace]

2 Cor. 12:9