How can Jesus be Found in you?

Blog by SB    June 2023

Photography by SB

I was asked the question - how can Jesus be in you? I took some time to think about that profound statement and then went to look at the book of Romans chapter 5 verses 8 to 11:

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

The depth to which Jesus Christ dwells in us depends on the degree to which we follow God's word and act on what we are instructed. Jesus Christ tells us that all his teaching can be summed up in two commandments: “Love God” and “Love your neighbour” and we can find that in Matthew chapter 22 verses 34-40:

 "But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In order to have Christ in us by living as He lived, we must deeply desire to change and become more like Him. We have to want to seek to have Jesus Christ’s life in us for Him to give us the help we need to achieve that end. His life will only be in us if we sincerely seek to make His way of life our way of life—to walk as He walked, to live as He lived. The book of John 1 chapter 2 verse 3 to 6 tells us:

"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God [a]is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

The Bible also calls this putting off the old man and putting on the new man as we find in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verses 20 to 24:

"But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

If we  try to live as Christ and the apostles lived, making an honest living, offending no-one, helping those we can, spreading God’s word, and obeying the laws of the land while giving priority to the laws of God, then there may be some who will understand and turn to God. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” We find that written down in  Matthew chapter 5 verse 16

Jesus preached about the need to repent and be baptized. Baptism is the most important step anyone can ever take in life; more important than commitment to any other person or cause however good and worthwhile that cause might be. Service to the Lord Jesus Christ is demanding; it is a service of total commitment after all Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Baptism into Jesus is a major step of obedience on the journey to eternal life in God's Kingdom, it is a public declaration of our desire to change our lives into a life of service to God and His son.

It is so easy to be drawn back into our old self-centred way of life. It is just like a magnet attracting us and we feel pulled towards all those things which we have left behind. So how do we resist and combat this pull? First of all we can keep the things of God at the centre of our lives. Secondly, we can stay as far away from those old attractions that stop our progress.

Prayer can help us a great deal. What does this mean in practice? It means first that we listen to God. We do this when we read His word. Then we open our minds to God to praise Him, thank Him, focus on His Son and His coming Kingdom. We pray for the welfare of others and share our problems with Him.

We get great help from the Word of God. We are exposed to many media but there is only one life-giving source of refreshment for the heart and mind, and that is the Bible. It is so easy to feed the mind on things we naturally like—but some things we can read or look at are harmful to our spiritual well-being. We do best when we feed upon the word of God: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into your salvation.”  As we find in the book of Peter - 1 Peter 2 verse 2.

We must try to choose the right way at all times, to do good in our lives, and we can watch our characters change daily as we become more like Christ our Master. The word of God should be in our hearts, so that we can be transformed by its wisdom and produce the fruit of the Spirit: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control"  The fruits of the spirit can be found in the book of Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 to 25. Remember, true believers should always be trying to please God, who is offering us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. We must live our lives in the light of that hope. Any kind of bad behaviour will grow if we allow it to do so and do not correct it. It may be such a danger to our life in Christ that we become the kind of people that God does not want in His Kingdom, and we shall find ourselves rejected.

Speech is very powerful. What we say, the way we say it, and the tone of our voices can make a great difference. Disciples of the Lord Jesus do not listen to or encourage unkind talk about their friends, neighbours or colleagues; they always try gently but firmly to restrain any such behaviour in others.

When we are in some difficult situation, we may be tempted to do something illegal or dishonest which we think might help us. This temptation must be resisted. A Christian must always be completely honest, and act in a straightforward manner. We must obey the laws of our country, unless they are in conflict with the higher laws of  God. Matthew 22 verse 21 tells us:

“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

The true believer must be loyal to Jesus Christ. Jesus must come first in all things: in our thought, our speech and our behaviour. This may be difficult for newly baptised disciples. Their lives before baptism often have been centred mainly on their own desires and ambitions. All kinds of thoughts and ideas constantly come into our minds, and a Christian must learn to reject those which are not pleasing to God. Even thoughts connected with the ordinary affairs of daily life, with the family, with neighbours, with work and with rest and relaxation, should be directed by the commandments of Christ.

As we read in Philippians chapter 2 verse 13:

“For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure”

Difficult times come and go for a believer in Jesus and you are not alone on this journey. There are like minded believers who support each other on this walk and I for one am very grateful for the wider family I have gained. Together we support each other in reflecting how others see Jesus in us - we are not perfect and we often fail yet we can pray for forgiveness and strive to do better!

Jesus also had difficult times in his life and eventually died one of the cruellest deaths known. But he then rose from the dead. The great news is that those who believe in him can also be raised from the dead. Jesus said:

“Whoever believes in me will not perish but have everlasting life”

“I am the good shepherd – the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep”

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die yet shall he live…”

When we get to know Jesus Christ, we can become one of his brothers or sisters and have a relationship with him that helps us find contentment whatever is happening around us.

These are just some examples of how Jesus can be found in me and you!