Focus: Christ In Me!

Text: Jh.17:23

"I in them."

When you believe the gospel and accept Christ into your life, Christ becomes an inward reality within you. He comes to live within you. Isn't that awesome! It means that the God without becomes the God within. By accepting Christ into your life, your heart becomes His residence. In fact, your heart is more than a residence; it is a sanctuary for God.

It is important that you really understand what it means for Christ to become the occupant of your heart. Making your heart His home is not a light matter. Turning the inner recesses of your being into a sacred space for God's dwelling is eternally significant. It means that He has become the center and circumference of your entire existence. 

He not only resides; He also presides. Your heart becomes the throne from which He rules. He takes the center stage of your humanity and directs the affairs of your life in all aspects of it.

He leads, and you follow. He instructs, and you obey. He commands, and you comply. You don't own yourself anymore; He does. He holds the reins of power in your life.

It is also important that you know who lives within you. Christ says to His Father, "I in them, and thou in me…" So Christ is the one who lives in you just as His Father lives in Him. When He returned to heaven after His death and resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit to come live inside of those who believe in Him.

The inward presence of the Holy Spirit makes you feel and experience the reality of Christ in your life.

Who is this Christ that lives within you? 

John describes Him as the Word which was in the beginning, as God, as the creator of the whole universe, as the giver of life, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, and as "the way, the truth, and the life." Matthew, Mark, Luke and John present Him as the worker of wonders and miracles, as the healer of all manner of diseases, and as the forgiver of sins. Paul tells us that His riches are unsearchable, His power is illimitable, His wisdom is unfathomable, His grace is inexhaustible, His knowledge is infinite, and His glory is eternal. That is the Christ who is living in you. He is the Lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Savior of the world, the Son of God, the ageless God, the covenant and promise keeper, the Almighty God, and the I am that I am. He is the one living inside of you. Paul says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col.1:27).

He wants to manifest Himself to the world through you. Paul says, "For it is God which worketh IN you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil.2:13). He wants His light to shine through you. He wants the world to feel His touch and impact upon their lives through you. Let others see from the outside that Christ lives on the inside of you! What an amazing privilege that Christ lives in us!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter