“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (John 14:23)

Jesus makes this promise to the disciples in his last conversation with them before his arrest.  This is not like the promise of heaven that we cannot experience until we die.  This is a promise for today!    

If we love Jesus and live by his teaching, he and the Father, the God of all creation, will take up residence in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus says this promise is not just his but the Father’s as well.  “The word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” (John 14:24) If Jesus and the Father make their home in us, they take up residence in us and we become, as St. Paul says, “the is temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Co. 6:19)

Think of it!

Jesus and the Father are in us, present to us, available to us at every moment.  Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, they are available to guide our conduct and help us make the daily choices in our lives.  St. Paul eloquently captures the essence of this when he declares, “The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations is now disclosed to the saints…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:26-27 NIV) Our hope is in Christ and Christ in us!

Why is it that so many of us do not always experience the reality of Christ residing in us?  The answer may be found in the individual choices we make that determine whether we bury God’s presence in us, or let him be seen, heard, and experienced? 

In my early adult years I lived my life in a way that mostly buried God’s presence in me rather than allowing that presence to be manifested.  I believed in God and attended church regularly.  Yet my Christian faith had become secondary to other priorities, namely career.  I hardly thought about God’s presence in me, and so that presence seldom impacted others.  

Fortunately, through God’s grace that changed one October evening when I experienced the opportunity to turn over my mixed priorities to Jesus.  It was a watershed moment.  I am still capable of messing up, but the good news is that we can repent of these times and bring our selves back into God’s presence.  We can then call on his gifts of wisdom, discernment, and courage to make daily choices consistent with Jesus’ teaching and partner with him in building his kingdom on earth in our time. 

Do you bury God’s presence in you or allow him to be seen in your actions and words each day?