Devotion #6

Christ In You

By Jon Walker

“God wanted to make
known to those among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27 HCS)

While moving through
the line at a college cafeteria, one of my friends spotted a note stuck
in a bowl of apples. It read, “Please take only one apple per student.
Remember, God is watching!”

When my friend, one
apple in hand, got to the end of the line, he spotted another note –
this one hand-written – next to a bowl of cookies. It read, “Take
all the cookies you want! God is watching the apples.”

Has it ever struck you
how comically absurd it is for us to behave as if God is compartmentalized,
convincing ourselves that somehow we can live separated from – or
hidden from – God’s omnipresent spirit?

But this belief –
and the resulting behavior – is contrary to the Gospel. The brutal
and bloody death of Jesus was not just about paying the penalty of our
sins; it also released the Holy Spirit to scrub us white as snow so
this Jesus-Spirit could live within us.

When you become a believer,
God breathes the Holy Spirit into you (John 3), creating a constant
connection between you and the Heavenly Father, a flowing fountain of
living water springing up into life eternal. (John 4:14)

To echo Ian Thomas,
who is an obedient teacher of Christ, the work of Jesus allows God to
come out of heaven and dwell inside you. You now have the energy and
power of Jesus working actively within you, transforming you
from the inside out. (Ephesians 2:10)

You are united with
Christ, but not in some New Age mystical sense – He is God, and you
are not– I repeat not – any sort of God. As a Christian,
you partake in the Divine nature, but you are not divine. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
You’re merely – yet quite uniquely – a trophy of God’s grace,
wholly and totally dependent upon him for your salvation, your sanctification,
and the next breath you take.

The Good News is simply
this – Christ in you – and that is your only hope for glory (that
is, an eternity with God). “The mystery in a nutshell is just this:
Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's
glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message.” (Colossians
1:27b MSG)

So what?

· God is our strength
– Here’s a radical “so what?” With the Spirit of God inside,
you can stop praying prayers like, “God, please give me strength.”
The fact is, he is your strength. Your prayers can move
toward allowing his strength to transform you. (Strength is just an
example here – this also applies to wisdom, peace, joy, etc.)

· Up close and personal
– God is not a distant God. His spirit is working within you.
Paul suggests this is a down payment on the eternity to come, but it
also shows that God values intimate relationship over rules or religion.

· Expect God to
work in you – You are “God's workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works ….” (Ephesians 2:10a NIV) Don’t hope
that he’s at work in you; expect him to work in you, transforming
you into a reflection of Christ. Ask God where he’s working in you,
and then expect him to show you.

© 2007 Jon Walker.
All rights reserved