The Jesus Inside of Us

Yesterday I took a little hike at Garden of our God (had to change the name to this) and went in an area that I had not previously explored.  It was a great time of meditation and hanging out with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

During this time, I also worked on an assignment that we have for one of my classes.  We are studying prayer and each day we will take one hour of the day and divide it into 12, 15-minutes segments (a prayer wheel).  Each of these segments is a separate entity of prayer and we begin and end with the same one - Praise.

As I was going around the wheel, I found it difficult to stay on track with the "5 minutes" and so my hour was more like two hours, but this is a good thing.  When I arrived at "Thanksgiving", there was so much to be thankful for - for provision, salvation, the air we breath, the birds that were singing in the nearby tree, the trees for the birds, the rocks and the boulder that I was seated on... on and on the list could go.  Then I started thinking about the various people that God had placed in not only my life, but the lives of others.  I started specifically naming the persons that I believe the Holy Ghost was bringing to my remembrance and thanking God for those qualities and attributes that made them who they are.

At one point I stopped and tears started to roll down my cheek.  The Holy Spirit was showing me the face of one particular person whom God has used to show me the truth, that when we are born again (come to personally know Jesus as our Lord and Savior), Jesus resides in us and we in Him.  I know this may sound "foreign" to some, but it is the Truth.  If you read the book of Ephesians, you see that there are a lot of "in Christ" or "in Him" Scriptures.  This is describing our position - in Jesus.

How does this relate to this person?  Well, a couple of weeks ago during one of our classes, I went to thank them for something they had done for me.  When I did, I looked into their eyes, but I did not see them - I saw Jesus - His compassion, love, kindness, goodness, warmth, beauty, etc.  I felt kind of strange because I did not want them to think that I was starring at them, but it seemed that I could not stop starring at the Jesus inside of them.  I really appreciate seeing the attribute of humility and the strength that it affords.

This is challenging me.  Do the people around me see Jesus in my life and in my eyes?  Can they see His love, His beauty, His passion, His compassion, His gentleness, His humility, His strength, etc.?  What do people see when they see me?  Or instead of seeing me, do they see past the external and see Jesus?

I believe that as we better understand that we, when we are born again, are changed and given the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22 - 23 - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These are not attributes that we are trying to obtain, but attributes (qualities) that we already have.  So I am not trying to get love, but I am (and do) release the love of God that is already inside of me.  And it's great to know that I am not lacking in what God gave me, but have all of the love that I will ever need because He already put it all inside of me.

Remember... when people see Jesus, they get saved.

Matthew 5:13 - 16, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored?  It is not good for anything any longer  but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven."

Have a wonderful week!

I love you,

konya