Prepositional Spirituality #3 – Christ in You
Unlike the followers of Confucius or Buddha or Mohammed, followers of Christ have a different center point. Those other leaders are external. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is internal.
Christ has come to live within his people. He has come to live within every believer. He indwells us. That is the uniqueness of the Christian Church.
• Explaining this to his disciples, Jesus said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20).
• The apostle Paul could say about himself, “As surely as the truth of Christ is in me” (2 Corinthians 11:10). And about other Christ followers, “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
• Experiencing the indwelling Christ, Paul discovered was developmental and transformative. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
• Jesus lives within us by the Holy Spirit who will one day change our bodies to be like Christ’s raised body. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).
It is Christ in us who teaches us to pray, shows us how to live, leads us where to go, guides us in what we do, instructs us in how to think, directs us in how to spend our time, trains us in overcoming the enemy of our soul, and so much more.
We don’t just imitate Christ. He imparts his presence and empowers us from within. It’s not imitation. It’s impartation. It’s Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
“Lord, here’s my mind. Think your thoughts in me. Be my wisdom, my insight, my discernment. Train me to take every thought captive to obey you” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
“Lord, here’s my voice. Speak within me so that I may know what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. Let my conversations be gracious, not hurtful or harmful, and having a right response for everyone” (Colossians 4:6).
“Lord, here’s my self. Let all my desires be for you, rather than all I want. Live in me so that people see something more than just me, but they see Christ in me” (Psalm 73:25).
Scientists tell us that when they shine an ultraviolet light on the famous Hope Diamond, it glows red-orange for about five minutes! This phosphorescent property distinguishes synthetic and altered diamonds from the real thing.
I want to glow with the real thing – the presence of Christ in me.
~ Pastor Dave
