God lives in His people

Ever since reading an older book called “God’s Part and Our Part” I’ve been trying to figure this out. I’ve noticed that most preachers and Christian books stress one or the other, usually our part. This gives me the feeling of having a human hand raised with a strong and shaking finger pointed at me. It raises guilt too, for no matter how hard I try, my part seems to elude me or gets blurry.

We have moved many times and attended many churches. One year, we were in three different places and attended three different churches — with three different denominations. They had two things in common: the focus of the messages was on what God does and has done for His people, and the services were growing to the point that we had to get there early to find a place to sit.

Since then, I’ve thought that my relationship with God was not like two unequally yoked critters trying to pull a load, but more like a hand in a glove. The ideal is a completely yielded glove, but in this case, the glove has a mind of its own and resists the hand. Yet the more I trust and submit to His desire, the more I am like the hand and the more that glove looks and behaves like the Lord wants me to. The emphasis is on God's part, not mine.

What does this say about obedience? Just this: I cannot do anything apart from the ‘doing’ that my Savior wants and initiates. The glove might comfort others, or help with a project, or even write a blog, but it is really the hand that is making it move. Jesus illustrated it with this:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1–5)

Without His hand, the glove can do nothing in the same way that a chopped off vine cannot produce fruit. Yet His hand is always there because Jesus lives in me. The worst is that I can try to function by ignoring Him, but that cannot succeed because He never leaves me. He may allow my wandering until I realize His overpowering presence. Eventually His hand will have its way because ‘doing nothing’ is a very sad and unfulfilling way to live. Like the prodigal eating pig food, I always run home, even though ‘home’ never left me.

The abiding presence of Jesus is vital to living for Him. The world, the flesh, and certainly the devil would like me to forget what He said: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” and “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Instead of thinking He is not there, He continually reminds me that He is with me and provides all I need to live for Him.

One more lesson is this: the presence of the hand in the glove is most evident when the glove moves with it. The more I respond to Him, the more I realize His love and power. He even uses my lack of response to teach me the importance of letting Him rule my life. I’m useless without Him.

That said, I am also “in Christ” yet that does not make me the hand and Him the glove. Being ‘in Him’ requires a different description!

PRAY: Lord, Your hand is never raised shaking a stern finger at me because Your hand is part of who I am, and I am not just one of the fingers. The way I live when in harmony with You is how others see You — the hand in the glove. I realize also that I’m not a fancy glove or anything special, but…

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

 

What do people see in me?

When we lived in San Fernando Valley, our daughter was close friends with three girls. For months after we moved back to Canada, she talked like a valley girl. As a boy, our oldest son loved watching “Get Smart” and was completely familiar with all the quirks of Don Adams who played Maxwell Smart in that show. He talked like him and acted like him. Husbands and wives also pick up each other’s mannerisms and way of speaking. It is only natural that if Jesus Christ comes to live in me, His words and actions will also begin to show up . . . 

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:1–6)

John reminds me that if I am not acting like Jesus, He still is my advocate with God the Father and has given His life to pay the penalty for my failure. I have hope, even when I fail.

On the bright side, with Him in my life His character will show up. For example, after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the disciples were involved in a healing and confronted by the high priest and other religious leaders. When asked how they pulled this off, they spoke of Jesus and “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

A Christian friend told us that before she knew Jesus herself, she could recognize Christians because “their faces were shiny.” My husband is often asked at work or on the golf course, “You are a Christian aren’t you?”

This recognition is not usually from obvious things like seeing a person kneel in prayer, or hearing them talk about church activities or noticing that they are always thankful about everything. It might be that they do not curse, or that they are kind and joyful, or do not whine or gossip. Whatever it is, Christians show something of the way that Jesus is and the things that Jesus does.

Although some may fall into that fake spirituality, this is not ‘put on’ or a conscious effort to be pious. Rather, it flows out naturally, like the way a child is without pressures and just being themselves. The Bible calls this walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Jesus describes how to do it:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4–5)

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Jesus, I know that fruit-bearing is about attitude first, then actions. You want me to have Your attitude about people, events, everything. If I love You and love others, then everything I do will flow out of that. The New Testament is filled with descriptions of what this looks like, yet if I try to examine myself to see how I am doing, it is like trying to step into my shadow. Instead, I’m to keep my eyes and thoughts on You and let You take care of the output. This is a learning curve, yet a most wonderful learning curve — making life a great adventure.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- that I know Jesus — such a wonder and a joy!

- that Jesus never leaves or forsakes me, even when I take my eyes off Him.

- being with Jesus is the way to become like Him in all that I say and do.

- uninterrupted time to make progress on two projects.

- homemade hamburgers.

- a very good timer so my power naps don’t wind up taking all day.

The King moved in . . .

Whatever else it is, the kingdom of God is the realm where God rules. Because He is sovereign, it could be said that the whole universe is His kingdom, but that doesn’t seem to fit the way the Bible uses this term. Rather than being a territory, it is God’s rule over people, a rule that is “within” us rather than a place where we live.

This kingdom is one of righteousness. That is, if I am ‘in it’ then the righteousness of God is in me and has changed the focus and motivation of my life. This ‘kingdom’ determines what is valuable to me and what I consider the purpose of my life. These values are radically different from those I had before an encounter with Jesus Christ changed everything.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3–5)

Entering the kingdom is described as a rebirth to new life. This new life is eternal and immediate but also reserved, protected and guarded until that day that I am with Jesus forever.

But being in God’s kingdom is not just a future hope. It is right now. Jesus tells His followers:

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32–34)

He repeats it: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20) and promises me that as I go after kingdom living and the righteousness of God, He will take care of all my needs: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

This restores me to what He designed His people to be, but also restores the joy that sin tends to ruin. Tozer says the Holy Spirit “restrings” my harp and brings happiness instead of fretting and sorrow. He says, “Happiness is nothing but that inward sweet delight, which will arise from the harmonious agreement between our wills and the will of God.”

Jesus, as I consider all this, I’m joyful to be a child of the Kingdom, but I’m also sad that so many people believe the lie that God is a kill-joy and faith in You is a burden. Nothing could be farther from the truth! When You moved in, everything changed and life became an adventure. You are the King who loves to bless me and always holds hand.

The main Person . . .

There are biblical truths that I know as I read, reread and hear them but unless they are right in my face, my thoughts seldom go there. I’m convicted by the words of John the Baptist who said, “He must increase but I must decrease.”

Jesus is more significant than I am, yet John must have had the same struggles as I do. Putting Him first in my heart and mind is not a natural act for me, never mind for those who don’t know anything about Him. It is not that I am short of material; the New Testament was written to describe the many aspects of who Jesus is and what He has done. Here is just one short passage:

“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:18–20)

Jesus is the head of His Body the church, our leader and also our source. Apart from Him, there would be no church, no Christianity — and apart from Him, the entire Body of believers or the local congregations are not able to function according to the will of God.

He is the beginning, a word meaning ‘the first cause that does not itself have a cause.’ This points to His deity. He is God in human flesh, the God who has no start in time, no beginning or end. He has always existed. Further, this God the Son was totally delighted to take up residence in a human body.

Jesus did this because all of humanity is separated from an intimate personal relationship with God and need to be reconciled, restored to what was intended when He created us. He made this possible by dying for our sin and satisfying the just penalty we deserved so we could be set free from the law of sin and death. By His blood, I have peace with God.

All of this means certain privileges and changes for me. I am in the Body of Christ, a child of God. By His Spirit He again moves into humanity by living in us, His people, even me. His human body was sinless; mine is not, yet the marvel of that and of all that He has done points to the words of John: “He must increase . . .”

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Oh Jesus, who am I to be a dwelling place for God? As Tozer says, “Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord!       Oh, to be lost in Thee! Oh, that it might be no more I, but Christ that lives in me!”