In Him

Two little words are pounding in my heart and mind today. In Him.

...He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him ... in Him, my heart trusts and I am helped ... I will hope in Him ...whoever believes in Him may have eternal life ... whoever abides in Him bears much fruit ... whoever believes in Him receives forgiveness through His name ... in Him we live and move and have our being ... whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame ... in every way you were enriched in Him, in all speech and knowledge ... for all the promises of God find their "yes" in Him ... And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together ... For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell ...

I could go on and on and on!

Here's what's gripped me today. In Christ, I lack nothing. I want for nothing. But, I go around day after day, living like an incomplete person, pretending as though other things can fill me. Far too often, I live a powerless life. I wring my hands anxiously, needlessly. I've ignored who (and Whose) I really am. "In Christ, the fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him who is the head of all rule and authority." (Colossians 2:9-10) What?! The fullness of deity dwells in Christ, and Christ dwells in me.

Shield! Refuge! Hope! Salvation! Redemption! Eternal Life! Forgiveness! Chosen! Inheritance!

In Him.

Early on in my CWJC career, another site coordinator talked with me about operating out of a place of peace, reminding me that our clients operate in constant panic and chaos, but it is our joy to demonstrate peace for them through Christ. This lesson can be carried out in every aspect of life in Him. While the world around us operates blindly, anxiously, hopelessly, it is our joy to introduce them to light, life, peace, hope, and power ... in Him.

I cannot even come up with a metaphor to describe the futility of squandering or denying such a vast heritage such a wealth of power at work in me. I fear that it might be like holding a sack full of bread while watching others starve or perhaps, holding a water hose yet refusing to turn on the spigot while the neighbors' house burns. It's a terrible, tragic, heartless atrocity we commit when we fail to live in Him. We are not the only ones who suffer when we choose to deny our rightful inheritance in Christ.