Reality Check

It felt like 3 little bubbles gently bursting on the inside.

Unexpected, soft, yet very obvious.

My baby's first kicks.

What a miracle! We'd had 3 ultrasounds done and could see each time how our little one was moving about in my womb - lively, active, discovering his own tiny hands and feet and sucking reflexes. Then suddenly, at about 20 weeks, this whole other world could finally be felt on the outside! I don't think there are many more wonder-filled moments than that.

Despite knowing about Baby's existence for a few months now, it is still something quite different and extremely special to feel it. It helps make the 'inner reality' more, well, real!

There's another reality that I sometimes forget the truth of. I'm reminded of it though when I read verses from the Bible like Romans 8:1 or  2 Corinthians 5:17. And that is the fact that I, like a baby in a womb, am IN CHRIST. 

Even though I haven't even met our child yet, there is already so much love within me and a bond that can't be described. This baby hasn't done anything to 'deserve' my love; it simply is. And is it any different with God? He loves us and has saved us 'not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy' (Titus 3:5). Grace isn't something we earn, and our identity as God's sons and daughters isn't dependent on us proving ourselves. 

Me being IN Christ means that I am safe, secure, loved, and provided for. HE is my source of life.

Yet this amazing reality has another aspect to it...

 Not only am I in Christ; He lives IN ME! Colossians 1:27 talks about the rich mystery of 'Christ in us, the hope of glory.'

We talk about this all the time when we mention 'inviting Jesus into your heart.' While not quite a full picture of what the Gospel is all about, this is a central and fundamental aspect. Our old and sinful selves are done away with when we surrender our lives to the Lord, and we are renewed as Christ takes up residence in us through his Spirit.

Romans 8:11 expresses this powerful reality: 'The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you...' The same Spirit, the same power, the same potential that Jesus had is IN ME! I can love, serve, make wise decisions, and move in power because of the Holy Spirit in me.

This reality isn't something weird or psychic, and I'm not saying that we, as believers, can 'become one with God.' God remains God, and we remain human. But that's exactly the miracle - we are transformed by His power and though we can't take any credit for it, He moves through us.

I've already had well-meaning strangers rub my belly, commenting on the life growing within me. I can't make the baby move, but I am a vessel through which the movements can be felt. In the same way, I am not the one who heals, encourages, or reveals, but these works of the Holy Spirit can be demonstrated through me and touch the lives of others (if I let them get close enough!)

It truly is a miracle. Knowing my identity in Christ allows me to rest and receive love, knowing all is grace. And being aware of His presence in me helps me live boldly, building His Kingdom here on earth, knowing all I have to do is obey, allowing Him to move through me. That is the hope of the world.

Because He Is I Am...

Having been sent by Yahweh with the command to confront Pharaoh and rescue God's chosen people, Moses timidly asks the Voice coming from the burning bush, "Who should I tell them sent me?"

God answered Moses: "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

In Scripture, God reveals Himself as the Great I Am. What deep, powerful characteristics there are in God choosing to reveal Himself through that name!

Consider the following "I Am" statements, from the beginning of the Bible to the end:

"I am your shield, your very great reward" (Genesis 15:1)
He's our Protector.
 
"I am God Almighty" (Gen. 17:1)
Nothing is impossible for Him. 

"I am the Lord your God" (Ex 20:2 - Ten Commandments)
He is worthy of our love, respect and obedience.
 
"I am compassionate" (Ex 22:27)
 So very thankful for a God who is slow to anger.

"I am holy" (Lev 11:44)
Therefore we are called to reflect His holiness too.
 
"Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10)
Sometimes just knowing that He Is is enough.

"I am always with you" (Ps 73:23, Is 41:10)
Never alone. Ever.

"I am the first and I am the last" (Is 44:6)
He will be faithful to bring to completion that which He has begun.

"I am faithful" (Jer 3:12)
 A God who never breaks His promises, Who is always true to His word.

"I am gentle and humble in heart" (Matt 11:29)
And He offers for me to exchange my heavy burden for His light yoke.

“I am willing” (Luke 5:13)
Perhaps one of the most powerful "I Am" statements in Scripture - He is willing to heal, willing to hear, willing to help.

“I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)
I can be fully satisfied from Him alone.

“I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)
In His presence, darkness must flee.

"I am not of this world" (John 8:23)
His thoughts are higher than mine.

"I am the gate" (John 10:7)
He is interceding for me; He Himself is the Door through which I can approach the throne of grace.

“I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11)
Protecting, guiding, feeding, disciplining, teaching.

“I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25)
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow... 

“I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6)
He doesn't just point out the way; He Himself IS the Way and invites me to follow.

“I am the true vine" (John 15:1)
And oh, the possibilities of what I too can be when I abide in Him...

“I am the Alpha and the Omega...who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8)
 Always. Eternal. Everlasting. Without end.

"I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades" (Rev 1:18)
My God's not dead; my Redeemer lives!

Image Credit: Christian Post

So if God is the Great "I AM", what does that make me?

Because He Is, I am...

One of the greatest mysteries of faith is the spiritual reality that we are IN Christ. Our lives are now "hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). And at the same time, Christ is in us (Col 1:27). Jesus said He was one with His Father, and also said that we are in Him ("I in them and you [Father] in me", He prayed in John 17:23). So if Jesus is in us, and the Father is in Him, that means God is in us! This happens through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, God's Spirit. 

The Great Yahweh Who introduced Himself as "I AM" enables us to also be.

Did not Jesus say that WE are the light of the world, the salt of the earth? Are we not commanded also to be holy? Does Scripture not proclaim that because He lives, we also may live? Are we not also called to be faithful, compassionate, and willing?

These are things that God IS, and that we are also called to be. Made possible because we are in Christ, and He is in us. Like a bottle filled with water in the ocean - floating in the very substance it contains.

Image Credit Peter Bennett

This encourages me that I can love, because I have "God is Love" dwelling within me.
I am reminded that I can serve, because the One who took a towel and washed His disciples' feet lives in me by His Spirit.
I never need to be short on wisdom, since I have the Spirit of the Creator who spoke the universe into existence taking up residence in my heart.
I am able to show mercy, I can teach, prophesy, heal. I can, because HE IS.

Jesus working through me, building His kingdom using my hands and feet and voice.

Who is the "I AM" to you, and Who do you need Him to be through you today?

Angels Are for Real...

 ...I experienced it yesterday!

On my way to a prayer meeting in the morning, I was driving along the highway heading to the village where the ministry base we work with is located. Somehow in the middle of a curve I got too close to the right side, and my tire caught the dip going into the shoulder. I swerved, and then jerked the steering wheel, trying to correct myself and get back into the lane. Either I jerked too hard, or it was icy, or both, but suddenly I found myself in the other lane, completely turned around. I just spoke out, "Jesus, help!" And the next thing I know I was sitting on the shoulder/shallow ditch of the other side, facing the opposite direction on the highway. I had a moment of shock and then realized that I was okay, the car was okay, and that there had been no other traffic on the highway at that time. PRAISE THE LORD! I nonchalantly turned the car back on, put on my signal light, pulled out onto the road, turned around and kept going. 

Miracles still happen today!

When I got home, the Lord brought to mind Psalm 91, and I realized I had personally experienced it:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty....

A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you....

  If you make the Most High your dwelling—
    even the Lord, who is my refuge— 

 then no harm will befall you,
    no disaster will come near your tent. 

For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways; 

they will lift you up in their hands,    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone....

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him."

Did you see that? "I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." There is power in the Name of Jesus! I called out, and He rescued me. There is power to break every chain - every chain of death, every chain of sickness, every chain of fear, every chain of shame, every chain of lack, every chain of hurt and brokenness. What chain do you need Him to break today? Call on His Name!

Praying you will experience the power of Jesus in your life today!

God on the Streets

I have a number of friends and family members who are heading out on or have just returned from  mission trips this summer, and as I hear from them and pray for them, I am reminded of a mission trip I went on during highschool that was deeply impacting for me. I've been to Africa and I've been to Mexico, but my heart doesn't break for the poor or for the orphans as much as it does for the people group I encountered in my own home country, on East Hastings Street in Vancouver: the homeless. 

I believe we all need to be actively engaged in social justice. There are so many needs around us! I rejoice in those individuals and organizations that are passionate about reaching the starving, those with AIDS, children, refugees, and others who desperately need love and practical help. 

I just want to share how God spoke to me through "the street people."

(Story written in 2004 after our trip; don't think I've put it on my blog before...)

     “What are you doing, a project or something?”
     “Um, yeah,” I replied as I snapped a picture of one of the walls of her house.
       I probably didn’t have the right to be going through her house like I did, but I sort of couldn’t help it. I was going past her house anyway, so I decided to stop and take a look. Her house wasn’t the prettiest. In fact, it was ugly compared to the standards of today. The paint was peeling, the floor wasn’t swept, and it stunk. Bad. This lady herself wasn’t the best looking, either. Her hair was long and matted, her face dirty, her teeth crooked. The tone of her voice when she asked what I was doing implied that so many other people had come through her house—just like I was then—and not respected her or her property. She assumed I was just like all the other people. Many people walk through her house every day; at the same time, many people walk by her house, not daring to stop and see inside.
     You see, this lady’s house was a street; her bed a pile of cardboard boxes on the floor, her food the scraps in the dump. Every day many people would walk through the streets, not considering that this was someone’s personal property, not caring that this was someone’s house. It certainly didn’t look or feel like a home, but it was a place where someone dwelled. And I was one of many people who didn’t notice that. So when this lady asked me what I was doing as I took pictures, I was stopped dead in my tracks and had to think for a bit. Was I doing a “project”? Did I consider this whole mission trip to Vancouver a “project”, something I was working on? Well actually, yes…
     I headed into this mission trip with the mindset that I would show homeless people God’s love. I figured that downtown Vancouver—East Hastings Street—was a place where God didn’t really abide, so I needed to go and point these people in God’s direction. I thought that I had something they didn’t, and I wanted to share it with them. I did have some things they didn’t—I had a house made out of wood, money, new clothes, education, food, and most of all, peace, hope, love, and joy through Christ. So my plan (emphasis on MY) was to go and show these people God. Well, God took my plan and warped it and instead did HIS plan. Imagine that! It always amazes me how God can take something we want, something we plan, and turn it around and accomplish his will through it.
     One morning our group was led in a Bible study about, well, God. We read verses like Matthew 7:7 that says, “Seek and you will find…” Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The point of the Bible study was that God is everywhere. In my mind I believed that, but it really got to my heart that afternoon.
      Our task was, in groups of four, to walk down East Hastings Street—alleys and all—and take pictures of people, places, or things that reminded us of grace, mercy, or redemption. It was interesting that the leader chose these three words, because it would have been much easier to find things about hope, or love, or healing. So our group started off. It was quite difficult to see anything at all that reminded us of God. As we were walking through one alley, we walked past a house that was fenced off. Leaning against the fence was an aluminum sheet with the word “Jesus” spray-painted onto it. Immediately we stopped to take a picture. What could better represent God than the word Jesus? It was pretty obvious. So we were fairy pleased that we had found one thing, and we continued to look for more. It was amazing to see some of the graffiti on the walls. The artists that drew these were amazing! People that live on the streets are gifted, and it is sad that the only way they are able to use their gifts is to draw depressing pictures and write hopeless poems. Here is one poem that I saw on a wall:

“The Gift”
RISING FROM WITHIN
THE MADNESS DOES BEGIN
THE VIOLENCE AND THE ANGER
THE PLEASURE THAT COMES FROM SIN
BEFORE YOU EVEN SEE IT
THE FUSE HAS REACHED ITS END
THE CHAOS AND THE TURMOIL
THEY SMILE LIKE THEY’RE YOUR FRIENDS
THE GIFT OF LIFE ABUSED, DENIED
IGNORED UNTIL THE END
THAT’S WHEN YOUR SOUL AWAKENS
AND SEES THAT THE GIFT WAS ITS BEST FRIEND
                                                            ----Lance (Chaos)

            We walked through a town square, and stopped to talk to a couple people sitting on a bench. A man in a wheelchair motioned for me to come over. He looked like he was in his sixties. I knelt down and talked to him. “My name’s George,” he said, “and this is my good buddy Fred,” he added, motioning to a man sitting beside him. “He’s real good at the guitar, ya know. He can get up, walk around, go wherever he wants to. Too bad I’m confined here in this wheelchair—can’t go anywhere or do anything useful.” I smiled. Through hearing his words, it reminded me of redemption. We all are born with sin and that sin traps us so that we can’t get out. But when Christ redeems us, we are set free of our sin and allowed to walk again. Like George was confined in his wheelchair we are bound by sin. George continued telling me stories about his life. “My wife died in 2001. It’s hard being apart, but I know that when it’s my time, the Big Man will take me up.” “Do you think your wife is in heaven?” I asked. “Oh I know she’s in heaven,” he replied, “she wouldn’t even spit on the ground she was so good!” God’s grace was shown in that George still had hope; he still saw “the light at the end of the tunnel” amidst the trouble and pain in his life. I asked if I could take a picture of him, and he said, “Only if I can take a picture of you!” I laughed.
            Through the rest of that afternoon, everywhere I went I saw God at work. Whether it was the smile of a man receiving a toque, a woman getting a stuffed bear to take home to her children, or an angel painted on a wall, I could see the fingerprints of God. Later that day I met the same woman who earlier had asked me what I was doing. She held a yellow tulip in her hands, and was smiling. Drastically different than when I had first met her. She even let me take a picture of her this time; she fixed up her hair and put this smile on her face and held the flower up to her cheek. It was a beautiful sight.
            As I mentioned, I had a plan for that week in Vancouver. I wanted to show God to people. But God ended up showing himself to me. I planned to take light into a dark place, but I came back realizing there is already a light there—it may not be as obvious as the darkness, but it is there. I learned that truly, as it says in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” There is no place God isn’t. Nowhere his Spirit does not reside. God is at work everywhere—he is just waiting to be found.

Perspective

The other evening my husband and I were sitting in our living room -- him on the chair, me on the couch. Our conversation was interrupted by a noise that was barely audible...thankfully, not a mouse! But we both could hear a high-pitched buzzing sound. I looked in his direction, and he looked in mine.

"Oh it must be the lamp above you," I told him.

"No, it's definitely coming from behind you - check the heaters."

"What? No way. I can hear it plainly - it's coming from your direction."

"Uh-uh, definitely from yours."

I got up and turned off the light switch to see if that would solve the problem. We listened for a couple seconds...nope, the buzzing was still there.

"Okay," he said. "Let's switch places."

So we did. As soon as I sat down, I could hear as plain as day that actually, the sound was indeed coming from the opposite direction as I had first thought. Before I could say anything, my husband said, "Wow, actually you were right...it's definitely coming from that direction!"

"No way! Now that I'm here I can definitely tell it's coming from the other way."

We were both pretty convinced, and we had to laugh at how changing places also changed our conviction.

In the end, we discovered that the buzzing sound was coming from a tool that was plugged into the electrical outlet...right between our seats! No wonder when we changed places the sound seemed to come from the other direction :-)

Interesting what perspective can do to you. 

I've had a few opportunities recently to "switch seats" with people, and have my perspective challenged and changed in doing so.

A couple of weeks ago we went with friends of ours who were visiting to the site of the Dachau Concentration Camp. Let me tell you, that was a reality check!

All of my so-called "problems" seem like nothing in comparison to the horrors that thousands of people suffered there! If I were to "trade seats" with a prisoner of war, I would realize that in my life I have nothing to complain about. But even in the midst of such awful conditions, the right perspective is a powerful hope. Last night I watched an interview of Alice Sommer (click here to see it), a 108 year old survivor of a Nazi Concentration Camp. In the video I saw pictures of Dachau - the camp I had just been to. Alice is one powerful old lady, and even during the years that she and her son suffered so much at the hands of the Nazis, her perspective was still optimistic. She found strength in music, in community, in laughing. And even today she has no bitterness toward her captors or her experiences in that time. The power of the right perspective.

In the last little while I've also had to remind myself often to "trade places" with my mother-in-law. Her health seems to be going more downhill, and after another episode in the hospital the other week, her memory is getting worse, and she is definitely not herself anymore. It can be exhausting to spend time with her and try to help, but all I need to do is consider what I would need and appreciate if I was in her situation, and suddenly I can see her perspective, and the small sacrifice that it is for me is worth it.

Interesting what perspective can do to you...

Interesting that when I'm complaining about having to decide what to cook, I just have to think about the more than 3 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, and am suddenly thankful that I can make the effort of preparing a meal.

Interesting that when I was a student, I spent lots of time wishing I could do something other than homework, but did not often consider the fact that nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Interesting that I can feel intimidated living in this new land, but then I think of my own Grandmother, a war bride from England (advanced Europe), who married a Canadian solider and moved to a farm in Saskatchewan with no heat or running water. 

I can so easily take for granted the love of friends and family, and the continuous ways God provides. It's so easy to get caught up in my own little world, and fail to see from the perspective of others. But I am called to something higher. I am called to see life and other people from God's perspective - the Creator of the universe, whose ways are different than my ways and whose thoughts are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:9). I am called to fix my eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, because "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

And what a difference a heavenly perspective makes!

Your spirit lifts when you realize that God is fighting for you, and He is your Provider.

Your emotions change when you consider that you are called to serve others, not be served.

Your mindset is totally different if you know that you are but a stranger on earth, and Heaven is your home.

Your relationships are no longer the same once you hear the life stories of your friends and learn about their backgrounds, their struggles, their passions.

Interesting what perspective can do to you. 

Praying that this week, no matter where you're at in life, you are able to see past your own experiences and see from the perspectives of others. Praying that God gives us the grace to be patient and empathetic with those around us. Praying that our minds are renewed with the truth of God's Word, and that we claim His will in our lives, not succumbing to the lies that the world and our enemy constantly throws at us. 

 Who can you "switch places" with this week? And are you setting your thoughts on heavenly things, and seeing from God's perspective?

A New Citizenship

Today I received my Immigration Card for Deutschland!

This means that I can enter the country as a resident, not a tourist, that I can live here as long as I want, and that I am allowed to work. Woo hoo! Now that the paperwork and everything has gone through, I am also able to take a German "Integration" course for free. It will be about 600 hours, and will cover everything from the language to German politics and traffic laws, etc. So the next year will be full of a lot of learning! It's a little nerve-wracking, but I'm thankful that the authorities want to help me integrate into this culture and equip me for life here.

 

This whole process has brought to my mind the reality of another citizenship I have. Actually, a citizenship that you have too:

 {"Our citizenship is in heaven."} 

Philippians 3:20

It's a biblical principle that this earth is not actually our home! If we belong to Christ and are following Him, we are only here visiting :-) In the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews chapter 11, the author writes that these heroes of the faith "admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth" (Hebrews 11:13). It's hard to live in this reality, because this world can be pretty deceiving and it's easy to feel at home in it. But the fact is - we were created for something more. We have heavenly DNA, and one day even our physical bodies will be transformed to match our new identity.

But even as we are living as strangers in this world - a country not our own - we should be adhering to the principles of the heavenly land where our citizenship actually lies. Just as my immigration in Germany includes both special privileges and responsibilities, so our heavenly citizenship implies that we live and act a certain way. We have the hope of eternal life in our heavenly home, but we also have a life that needs to be lived out here as "aliens" on this earth. An alien doesn't fit. An alien stands out. An alien doesn't belong. And our lives should be like that too. We must be different.

Peter wrote to his friends, "I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11). There are desires that we need to fight against, which are not part of our real identity. We ought to to adhere to a heavenly, higher spiritual standard.

But it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, right? Like when I'm driving here in Germany, and go to turn right at a red light (after stopping, of course!) But that's not allowed here. I need to wait for the green turning arrow. But in the only life I've ever known beforehand (Canada), I learned that it was okay to do so (and that other drivers behind you actually get angry if you block the lane by not doing so!) In a similar way, our "old life", our sinful flesh, teaches us that it's fine to be selfish. It's okay to lust (everybody else does it!) You need to lie sometimes. It's impossible to actually love everybody. Self-pity is okay.

But that's why we're told, in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"! Our old ways of thinking and our old patterns of behavior have to go once we accept Jesus as Lord of our life and receive citizenship in heaven. Spiritual guidelines and principles apply instead of earthly standards.

And what are these new responsibilities and privileges? They involve love, not apathy. Peace, not worry. Joy, not discouragement. Patience, not frustration. Kindness, not selfishness. Self-control, not self-indulgence. Mutual submission, not discord. Preferring others, not controlling others. A spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, not a spirit of timidity. A spirit which cries out to God, "Abba, Father!" not a spirit of fear. The power to overcome evil with good, not to be overcome with evil. The authority to live in the abundance that Jesus died to offer, not allowing Satan to steal, kill, and destroy in your life. The strength to rejoice in suffering, because we have a hope beyond this world.

These are the rules and rights of our heavenly citizenship! Sure, it takes learning and adjusting. It takes the "putting to death" of our old ways. It may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable. It may involve more cost in the short-term. But it's worth it in the long term! The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, our Counselor, our Guide, ready to train us in how to live in this new spiritual reality.

Are you living to the full potential of what your heavenly citizenship implies?

Message in a Bottle

One of the greatest promises in Scripture is that we are not alone. And the outworking of that is perhaps one of the most mysterious concepts in Christianity: that we are in Christ, and the Holy Spirit is in us, and Christ is in God.

Take this verse from Colossians 3:3 - "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." It's one of those paradoxes of faith: Because we are dead, we are actually more alive than ever! The next verse is the key - Christ IS our life.

 

We are united with Christ through his death. That's what Paul said in Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." If we have surrendered control of our lives to God, then Jesus Christ becomes our life. He doesn't just become priority. He doesn't become a crutch. He doesn't become #1. He doesn't become an addition. He becomes everything. He lives by His Spirit inside of us, and therefore we live according to a new nature. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 states: "Now it is God who makes...you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

So here is this big mystery: we are united with God. The reason Christ came to earth and died is so that our relationship with God, which was broken because of sin, could be restored. Our lives are completely transformed as we take on a new nature, being hidden with Christ in God. It can be tricky terminology, because there are a lot of religions that say similar things. Buddhists meditate in order to 'become one with god'. New Age says that 'god is everything, and is in everything.' But according to  Christianity, based on the Bible, our being remains the same: we are humans, and God is and forever will be God. He is Other, and nothing can compare to Him and nothing is His equal. At the same time, because of His great love for us, He offers to change our spiritual reality (we are made up of body, soul and spirit). Because of our human nature we are all subject to the "law of sin and death" (Romans 8). But Christ Jesus came and fulfilled the requirements of that law so that we don't need to, and so we don't have to suffer the consequences of not being able to anyways. And he replaced it with a higher standard: the law of the Spirit. "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires...You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you."

The Spirit of God lives in us. 

We are in Christ. 

Christ is in God.

When you read (in John 17) Jesus' prayer to His Heavenly Father for all those everywhere who would ever believe in Him, you see Him use this kind of terminology too. He prayed that Christians would be united as one - "just as You are in me and I am in You." Jesus in God and God in Jesus. Then He prayed, "May they also be in Us." So us in Jesus in God and us in God in Jesus. He said that He even gave his disciples His glory, in order "that they may be one as We are one, I in them and You in me." Christ in us and God in Christ.

It can all sound rather complicated, but I find a picture helpful:

 

{Imagine that you are the bottle (but the lid is open). You are in the water, but the water is in you. Your life is surrounded by the vast ocean, yet inside of you is a part of that ocean. And in this case, the message in the bottle isn't meant to be closed and protected - it's supposed to be soaked, drenched, and saturated with the ocean! 2 Corinthians 3:3 says, "You show that you are a letter from Christ...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God." Our lives are a letter from God to the world. We are hidden inside of Christ, and surrounded by God. The Holy Spirit carries us along, and when people read the letter that is our lives, they should feel, see, smell, and be overcome with Christ in us. }

So what does all this mean? First, it should give us great comfort and hope. We are hidden, protected, surrounded. And "when Christ, who is [our] life, appears, then [we] also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). We are not alone in this life, and we have the hope of eternal life, where we will be seated with Christ.

Secondly, WE HAVE THE LIVING GOD INSIDE OF US!!! That ought to change the way others read the letter of our lives. Right before the promise that our life is hidden with Christ in God, there are two exhortations: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." We not only died with Christ; we were also raised with Him. We are not our own; we have been bought with a price - the precious blood of Jesus. So our lives ought to be different! Our focus is not on earth; it's on heaven. 

Our hearts - our emotions, our desires, our will - are not on our own selfish wants, but are to be focused on the things above, where Christ is. Where Christ is there is Freedom. Joy. Hope. Peace. Love. Perseverance. Selflessness. Righteousness. If we fix our focus on what is often the bitter reality of this life, we succumb to depression, fear, anxiety, and bondage from the enemy, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. And our minds - our understanding, our thinking, our rationale - are also to be set on what is above. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). It's a battlefield! But that's where the victory is won. We are to have pure thoughts. We are to set aside our own limitations, and in faith grab hold of the promises of God - that with Him nothing is impossible.

We may never know all the people who read the letter of our lives. But we can choose to make it a letter that is drenched in the living water that is Jesus Christ, instead of a dried up letter that is irrelevant to a broken world.

How does your letter read? Is your bottle open with fresh water constantly flowing in and out, or is it closed with stale water locked inside?

Feeling alive spiritually...

Well we're in the middle of packing up and getting ready to move! Our neighbors are leaving tomorrow for a trip to Germany and have offered to take some extra luggage for us, so we're getting two suitcases ready to send off with them. The house is looking emptier and as we begin to say goodbye to everybody the whole thing is starting to feel more real. Exciting but kind of bittersweet at the same time...

But I'm just about finished writing our first newsletter...if you'd like a copy, comment or email/facebook me and I'll get you one!

On another note, a question that Mogi and I have been pondering lately is: when do you feel the most spiritually alive? Our spiritual journeys have seasons to them, and there's times where we feel more alert, more passionate, more engaged, more...alive. What are those times for you?

I've been encouraged by my husband's thoughts on this. He says that for him, it's when he's living in reality. He lets God be God, and he is aware that he is just himself––"what is man that you are mindful of him?" It's the times of acknowledging that God is sovereign and in control instead of trying to figure everything out or make stuff happen ourselves. It's those times when we're keenly aware of our own shortcomings, and overwhelmed by the grace of God that sustains us each day. It's when we praise and thank God and choose to rejoice even when we don't understand.

It's those deep conversations with friends while drinking coffee when we share life and are honest with each other,  reminding one another that God is God and God is good.

What are those times for you?