Seven years ago I found myself hoping and praying for a spiritual mentor. I had recently been ordained as a pastor and was hungry to keep learning and growing, but I was also looking for someone to whom I could be answerable; someone who would be a straight-shooter; and someone who would have the right words for me when I was at a proverbial crossroads. The good news is…God heard and answered my prayers. But as is so often the case with God, many times His answer is not wrapped and delivered in the manner expected. Such was the case with Miss Mary!
When I first met Miss Mary, she was in her mid – 70’s and by most standards would be considered a bit eccentric. Her hallmark was an array of hats that were adorned with a rhinestone pin proclaiming “Jesus Loves You.” She was knee-deep in the 12 Step recovery process and was a sponsor, as well as a surrogate mother, for many ladies struggling with addiction issues as well as “lack of God” issues. Because of my background in the recovery process, that at first became our common bond. But the more I was exposed to her perspective and wisdom, the more I realized she could also fill the bill as the spiritual mentor I was seeking. So throughout the next seven years, whether I was seeking advice or asking for prayer, Miss Mary has always spoken the truth in love, and has added direction and stability to my life. Consequently I have smiled and thanked God many times for putting this awesome woman in my life, because she has been a great example of living “in the Spirit.”
Today Miss Mary lives in Oklahoma. But who knows where she’ll be next month, because she is an “Angel on wheels” and goes, according to her, “wherever God needs me next.” But she called me yesterday bubbling over with excitement. Her first words were, “Danny, what is the first word in the Bible?” Before I could open my mouth, she pointed out the word in question is “In”, and that opened up a lengthy conversation about how indispensable the meaning of that word is in both the recovery process and in a relationship with God. As we wound up our conversation, her charge to me was, “Think about this. It’s a little word but it packs a wallop! Just think about it…then share it!” So as you might expect, that is exactly what I plan to do now.
Think about how many times we use the word “in”. We can be “in love”,” in debt”, “in need”, “in training”, “in recovery”, or “in Christ”. But the meaning of that little word “in” is vitally important, because it shows that “I” am in relationship with the word that follows. The following word describes my state of being, for instance at that moment I am “love”, “debt”, “need”, “training” etc.
When we look at the use of the word “In” at the beginning of the Bible, “In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1), one might ask the question, “how am I part of that?” Didn’t God do the creating? The obvious answer is “yes”, however we are told in Ephesians 1:4 that “Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” So even before creation, God had a divine plan that included us.
We are told in Genesis 1:27 that “God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.” Even though God knew at the outset we would sin and fall away from him, it was always his plan to provide salvation for his proudest creation. And His plan, even before the world was created, was to send a Savior, a Redeemer, in the form of Jesus Christ to do for us what we would prove without a shadow of a doubt we were incapable of doing for ourselves. Romans 5:6,9 tells us, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment.” So my point is…even here, “In the beginning…” we were the “center piece” of God’s divine plan.
To reference Ephesians 1:4 again, we are told that “God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” In this case, in Christ describes our relationship with Christ. It sets us apart as having chosen to accept God’s Gift of Grace. We have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Now we are “heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm” (Ephesians 1:3) as well as all the promises in the Bible. And we have a new identity.
Because we are in Christ, we are unconditionally loved; forgiven of all sins – past, present and future; accepted into God’s family as his Child; worthy to come before Him without fear of condemnation; and we are the righteousness of Christ, not because of anything we did, but because of what Christ did for us on the cross! In other words, “we are a new creation; the old is gone the new has come.” (2Corinthians 5:17) Now we are covered with the blood of Jesus! So when God looks at us, he no longer sees a sinner, but a Saint “without fault in his eyes”! This, my Friends, is our identity in Christ.
But there is more! Not only are we in Christ, but Christ is in us. In Colossians 1:9-12, Apostle Paul states, “…We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light.” Being in Christ gives us peace and assurance about our eternal life. Having Christ in us is our key to living the life we are called to live right here and now in this fallen world.
Colossians 1:27 tells us, “For it has pleased God to tell his people (those in Christ) that the riches and glory of Christ are for you too…Christ lives in you and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.” (honor, splendor or magnificence, a distinguishing quality). Let me relate a statement from Jesus to his disciples that I believe will clarify the meaning of “Christ lives in you” and “his glorious power” from the paragraph above.
Jesus was telling his disciples at the Last Supper that he would be leaving them soon, but he also told them, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. By you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans – I will come to you.” (as the Holy Spirit)
Jesus knew that he had to count on these men in front of him to carry his message of truth into the world. But he also knew they were collectively a rather weak bunch, and whatever bursts of wisdom and strength they did display was drawn from him. Therefore the purpose of the Holy Spirit was to empower them (and us) to be able to rise above the worldly circumstances around us to fulfill the purpose of God’s calling. (Remember Colossians 1:10 two paragraphs above: “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others.”)
God’s salvation plan for his people is perfect. Not only do we inherit forgiveness of sin and eternal life, but we have Christ in us in the form of the Holy Spirit to empower us to fulfill God’s calling and further his Kingdom here on this earth. All of this is a manifestation of God’s unfathomable love for us, because he desires a relationship with us – an eternal relationship, and because he delights in everything we do right here, right now. We are his proudest possession because we are in Christ. Therefore we will share in His glory because we have Christ in us so we can fulfill the purpose of Ephesians 1: 8,10: “God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Well, it’s easy to see why Miss Mary was filled with excitement yesterday, and she certainly was empowered with the truth. Indeed “in” is a small but powerful word, and it certainly does pack quite a wallop, especially when it defines our relationship with Christ. Being in Christ and having Christ in us is the only way to fulfill God’s calling in our lives. So the more we call on the Holy Spirit to direct our path and give us wisdom, insight, strength, patience, endurance, whatever it is we need to be the person God created us to be…the more we will grow to become God’s masterpiece. Through this process we will also experience the joy and exhilaration that comes from being a Christ-follower.
Thank you Miss Mary. Your message is always thought provoking and wrapped in the truth! May God Bless Ya…
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Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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