~ by Mark Maulding
Every time I preach, teach, or counsel, I ask this question at some point. Why did Jesus come to live inside you? Before you read further, how would you answer?
Most answers include truths such as: “To save us from our sins”; “To forgive us”; “To give us new life”; “So we could be born again”; ”To take us to heaven when we die”. While all of these are true, rarely does anyone tell me what I’m hoping they will say.
Jesus came to live in us to love us from the inside so that He could have an interactive relationship with us. How do we know this? There are a few reasons. God is love according to Scriptures like:
1 John 4:16 (TPT) “We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us.
God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them.”
Another reason is because of the prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians in chapter 3 that we can also pray for ourselves and other people.
Ephesians 3:14-18 (TPT) “So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, 15 the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. 16 And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.
17 Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.
18–19 Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!”
Do you see what I’ve emphasized in this beautiful prayer? This prayer is for us to understand more than the fact that Christ lives in us. It’s a prayer for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in such a way that we have a Spirit-given revelation of the reality that Christ is in us so we may know (experience) the greatness of the love of Christ who lives in us.
I asked the question to a pastor recently whom I was counseling, “Why did Christ come to live in you?” After he shared a few answers, I shared the above with him. He began to tear up as he softly responded, “I’ve never thought about that before.” He was deeply touched by the Spirit that Christ was living in him to love him.
Why don’t you thank Christ in you right now that He is there to love you every day?
If you want to understand this reality more, please ask for information on our Advanced Discipleship Training, where we take a deeper dive into this topic.
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com – Leading Christians Into the Life-Giving Power of God’s Grace
© Mark Maulding (But feel free to share this.)
Bestselling Author God’s Best-Kept Secret: Christianity Is Easier Than You Think
