In the Beginning was Information

taught us in the Lord’s prayer and as He lived daily right up to thecross: “Yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Whenyour will is bound to God’s Word through your conscience, thenyou are no longer egocentric (e. g. Isaiah 53:6: “each of us hasturned to his own way”), but Christ-centred (e. g. Colossians 3:23:“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working forthe Lord, not for men”).3. Spiritual energy: There is no machine which can run continuouslywithout input of energy. Similarly, a spiritual person is not aperpetuum mobile. His source of spiritual energy is the Holy Spirit,without Whom nobody can call Jesus Lord of his life (1 Corinthians12:3). The ministry of the disciples was not based in themselves,but in the divine energy given to them: “you will receivepower when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be mywitnesses” (Acts 1:8). Paul expresses the immense source of availableenergy, when he refers to “His incomparably great powerfor us who believe. That power is like the working (Greekenergeia) of his mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ”(Ephesians 1:19-20). Although Paul was weak of body (2 Corinthians12:9), his spiritual achievements were incomparable: “To thisend I labour, struggling with all his energy, He so powerfullyworks in me” (Colossians 1:29). God commands us to “be strongin the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6;10).4. Spiritual matter: Except for mass deficits occurring in nuclearprocesses there is also a conservation law for matter. If, by way ofanalogy, we search for something permanent in our spiritual life, itwill be found in the fruits of our labours for God according to theBible. Heinrich Kemner always emphasised the difference betweensuccess and fruit. Natural man seeks success in life, but a spiritualperson finds it in fruit. Success depends mainly on our efforts, butfruit stems from grace and it only grows when our life is linkedwith Jesus. He unlocked this secret in the parable of the vine: “Nobranch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neithercan you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you arethe branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bearmuch fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Allour works will be revealed when God judges the world. Whateverwe may regard as great successes in our life will be consumed in167