The Indwelling Christ

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Amy Boucher-Pye and I called our reading, The Indwelling Christ. English preacher F. B. Meyer used the example of an egg to illustrate what he called the deep philosophy of the indwelling Christ.

He noted how the fertilized yolk is a little life germ that grows more and more each day until the chick is formed in the shell. So too will Jesus come to live with us through his Holy Spirit, changing us. Meyer said, From now on Christ is going to grow and increase and absorb into himself everything else and be formed in you. He apologized for stating the truths of Jesus imperfectly, knowing that his words couldn't fully convey the wonderful reality of Christ dwelling in believers through the Holy Spirit. But he urged his listeners to share with others, however imperfectly, what Jesus meant when he said in John chapter 14, On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Jesus said these words on the night of his last supper with his friends. He wanted them to know that he and his Father would come and make their home with those who obey him. This is possible because through the Spirit, Jesus dwells in those who believe in him, changing them from the inside out. No matter how you picture it, we have Christ living inside us, guiding us and helping us to grow, to be more like him. The passage of scripture today is from the Gospel of John chapter 14 verses 15 through 24. If you love me, keep my commands, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth.

The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.

Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

Then Judas, not Judas Iscariot, said, But Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus replied, Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own.

They belong to the Father who sent me. Let's pray. Loving Jesus, your God, and you also were human, thank you for giving yourself so sacrificially that we may have new and everlasting life in you. We give you thanks and we pray in your holy name. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.