Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: indwelling Christ

  • Advent devotional 5: The Overshadowing God

    Photo: Living Nativity, Ralph Daily, Flickr
    Photo: Living Nativity, Ralph Daily, Flickr

    All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son…” (Matthew 1:23)

    Matthew’s concise account highlights the miracle of the virgin birth, which was foretold by the prophet Isaiah (7:14). God through his Holy Spirit overshadows Mary and conceives in her Jesus, who is both divine and human. It’s a mind-boggling concept of the Trinity at work: God, the creator of the universe, descends through his Holy Spirit to his creation in the person of Jesus, one who is God yet man, and thus one of the created. Being divine, Jesus can fulfill the meaning of his given name – Yahweh saves. Being human, Jesus can relate to us completely. Utterly brilliant.

    But God doesn’t stop there, for following Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection is Pentecost, when he pours out his Holy Spirit on his people. As the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and thus brought about the indwelling of Jesus, we too can host Jesus. Of course not physically, but Christ living in us will transform us, cleansing us and bringing forth the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit (including wisdom, understanding, knowledge, right judgment and love; joy, peace, gentleness, faith, and self-control). What better gifts this Christmas season?

    Jesus dwelling in us, which is made possible through the incarnation, is echoed in Scripture. Jesus refers to it, such as when instructing his disciples before he dies: “…I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20) or his final prayer for them: “I in them and you in me” (John 17:23). The Apostle Paul reflects this new reality in his letters, such as “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) or “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

    Celebrating the incarnation is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the reality of Jesus dwelling in us, and to rejoice.

    Prayer: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:16–17).

  • Devotional of the week: My heart, Christ’s home (6 in Ephesians series)

    For tDSCN2807his reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14–19

    This must be one of the most inspiring passages of Paul’s letter, showing how Christ takes residence in the believer, making his home in our inner being. It is Trinitarian, for Paul prays that the Father would strengthen his children through his Spirit so that Christ may dwell in us. Christ lives in us, and we live in Christ. He changes our outlook, attitudes, and emotions, making us more like him. We then yearn for justice and mercy; we pray for those who wrong us; we can rest and be at peace.

    Why and how? All though love. Love that is wide, long, high, and deep, beyond our knowing. Some commentators dismiss these geographical descriptions as a mere poetical flourish, but I think they give a rich image of the all-surpassing vastness of God’s love. John Stott tells of the ancient commentators who saw these dimensions illustrated on the cross of Christ: “For its upright pole reached down into the earth and pointed up to heaven, while its crossbar carried the arms of Jesus, stretched out as if to invite and welcome the world” (John Stott, God’s New Society, IVP, p. 137). As he says, it may be fanciful, but it is true.

    With Christ dwelling within, we are rooted and established in his love – rooted, as if a tree or a vine, and established, as if the foundation of a well-built building. May this love permeate your being today.

    Prayer: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21).

  • God or Chocolate?

    Do you have a security blanket? CutiePyeGirl falls to sleep best when she has her Baby Elmo on her left and her sheepskin fleece on her right, the nightlight shining on the table nearby. Me, I’ve moved beyond soft toys to chocolate. When I’m stressed out – the kids are demanding or cranky and I’m tired and lacking patience – I can easily turn to a quick pick-me-up in the form of a mint chocolate biscuit.

    Photo credit: Shimelle Laine, Creative Commons
    Photo credit: Shimelle Laine, Creative Commons

    Sometimes I grab one and don’t savor every sweet bite; I’m eating it without even noticing. How much better, of course, to find comfort from God. But chocolate can seem more accessible than our heavenly Father; its right here and while he can seem so far away.

    How can I turn to God? How can I live in the present? How can I resist chocolate?

    As I ponder these questions, I’ve been reading the book of Romans, thinking of how amazingly smart the Apostle Paul was. Parts of the letter seem dense and outside of my grasp; I have to chew them over, asking God through his Holy Spirit to reveal what he’d like me to grasp. And biblical commentaries are pretty great too.

    Here’s what Romans 8:9–11 says: “You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

    I believe Paul when he says that the Spirit of God lives in me. Thus I am not controlled by the sinful nature anymore but by the Spirit of God who lives in me. Christ in me gives life. Even though my body is subject to death because of sin, Christ gives life because of righteousness.

    So if I’m not controlled by sinful desires but by the Spirit living in me, then why do I succumb to the momentary pleasures of a crunchy chocolate mint biscuit? On the grand scale, it’s the war between good and evil; the sinful nature and the redeemed nature. On a smaller scale, it’s my need to reshape my habits. To replace the compelling desire for that taste sensation with seeking the comfort God gives through his sweet words of love.

    I wish I had an easy answer to spiritual success over mint chocolate biscuit bars: “Just do these five easy steps and you too will be free from enslavement to chocolate!” Is it ever so simple? I don’t think so.

    But one simple exercise that I’m trying is to focus on part of a verse from Romans, as above: “The Spirit gives life because of righteousness.” Righteousness, meaning right living before God. His Spirit living in my mortal body, transforming me from the inside out. Asking him to reign in me – in my thoughts and actions – moment by moment, that I look to him and not to self-medication in the form of ingesting something sweet.

    Do you love chocolate? Is it your go-to food when you’re stressed or sad? If so, how do you let righteousness reign?

  • Devotional of the week – The Indwelling Christ (7 in John 15-16 series)

    I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. John 16:4

    PyelotBoy, about the time he went to school for the first time...
    PyelotBoy, about the time he went to school for the first time…

    The first day I left PyelotBoy at nursery (UK; US: pre-school), I wondered how he would fare and if he would be lonely or afraid. My husband and I had tried to prepare him for the good things to come, such as new friends, engaging play, and increased independence. But I hadn’t prepared myself for the wrenching separation I felt as I realised that this was merely the start of a long journey of releasing my son. A few years on, we’re both back from a week away, and I try not to ply him with too many questions, so eager I am to hear all about his school trip.

    I wonder if Jesus felt any of this sadness as he prepared his disciples to be apart from him. He knows of the trials that are ahead – not only for him but for them – so he warns them of things to come. Indeed, shortly after this conversation Jesus is arrested and brought before the high priest. He will no longer be with them physically, but he will give them an amazing life-changing gift – his very presence living in them through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit.

    We never need to be far from Jesus, for he lives within us. his presence changes us, helping us to forgive the gossiping friend, to love the colleague we find difficult, to trust when we are feeling helpless and alone, to release our children into his care. In the words of the sixteenth-century monk, Brother Lawrence, we need only to pause and “practice the presence of God.” He is with us.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you that through you I live and move and have my being. Transform me, I pray.

  • Devotional of the week: Philippians 2:5

    The Great Dance

     

    A statue from a cathedral in Germany (sorry, can't remember which one), depicting the Trinity.
    A statue from a cathedral in Germany (sorry, can’t remember which one), depicting the Trinity.

    “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5

     

    How can fallen human beings have the same mindset of Christ, he who was without sin? “Impossible!” we might think. And it would be impossible, but for the mystery of Christ’s incarnation and for the filling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Paul writes of this truth in another epistle, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), or as Jesus prayed for his disciples – and for us – on the night before he died, “I in them and you in me” (John 17:23). Jesus dwells in us, just as he dwells in the Father. This is the wonderful embracing dance of the Trinity, who welcomes us into their circle of love.

    When we learn to continually call to mind the amazing truth that God lives in us, our outlook changes and we begin to see the world through God’s eyes. A thought drops into our head from seemingly nowhere, filled with insight and wisdom that we would have to admit is beyond us. Peace washes over us in the midst of harsh circumstances. We find the strength to forgive the friend who betrayed us. We humble ourselves and put first the needs of our spouse, friend, stranger or child. We receive help at the precise moment of our need.

    How might having Christ’s mind change your world today?

     

    Lord Jesus Christ, help us to remain in you even as you remain in us. May we keep your commandments and remain in your love. Amen.