CHRIST IN US
Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
For the next several devotionals I would like to draw information from both Matthew and Luke, and their accounts of the birth of Jesus. One is not necessarily more right than the other, but rather just reported from different perspectives. Just as a group of people that witnessed a car accident might point out different parts of what they saw, Matthew and Luke stressed the aspects of his birth that impressed them most. So I will do the same as I combine them together.
Mary and Joseph must have been engaged or betrothed for some time was the practice Their age is not necessarily important, but considering the lifespan of people back then they would have been in their mid to late teens. Chances are Mary was younger than Joseph as he would be responsible for providing for them. The only reason I point this out is the incredible amount of trust and faith Mary had in what the angel told her. It would have been intimidating and scary enough for a mature lady let alone a young girl still in her teens to hear than God the Holy Spirit would come on her and create a child in her that would be the Son of God. If you have seen the movie “Alien” and seen how terrifying just the thought of something that was not natural grow inside you might be? If so maybe you can grasp what must have been going through Mary’s mind. Yet she quickly trusted what the Angel told her and said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be to me as you have said.”
We don’t get any information what if anything else Mary may have told Luke regarding the event of what it was like for her, but Jesus life certainly proved true what the angel had told her as true. Jesus was the Son of God, and he became as it was told Joseph, “Immanuel meaning God with us.” Mary wasn’t the only one that had Jesus within her, nor the Holy Spirit coming upon her. Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ , he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Also it says in Romans 8:11, “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 through his Spirit, who lives in you.”
As it must have been scary for Mary to have the Holy Spirit come upon her and Christ in her, so it is for many Christians. As a rule it is because of lack of teaching and understanding. I know many Christians that want to have their sins forgiven and go to be with Jesus when they die, but are afraid of having Jesus in them. Some fear that they will lose their free will and Jesus will make them do things that they don’t want to do. I had a lady tell me that she was afraid that Jesus was going to make her be a missionary and go to africa. Some fear the thought of being radical for Jesus if Jesus comes in them. Some fear the Holy Spirit coming on them will make them roll around on the floor or speak in languages they do not know embarrassing them. They are afraid that they can not trust God be in them!
If we can trust God to forgive us of our sins, we can trust him in our heart. If we don’t want Jesus in us, why would we think we could trust him enough to be with him for all eternity? We can trust him and trust the Holy Spirit. Jesus proved his love for us by stretching his arms out to be nailed to a cross. What could we do that would be a greater show of love and trust for him? How about an intimate relationship with us? Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not monsters like in the movie “Alien”.
When the Holy Spirit came on Mary, she gave birth to Jesus the Son of God. When the Holy Spirit comes on us, he helps us to give birth to a Christ-likeness and empowerment in us. The Holy Spirit wants to transform us not us conform us. We don’t have to fit into a mold and all of us be alike. The Holy Spirit wants to take us to new levels of our life, character and being that we could never obtain on our own. With Jesus in us we have a new intimate relationship with God and with the Holy Spirit we have a new nature like God. The old is daily being transformed in ever increasing glory or Christ-likeness on our yesterdays until at last when we die we come into full Christ-like perfection. (I Cor 15:35-58). No one could understand not even Joseph what it was like to have God come upon her and come in her. Nor can the world understand what it is like for a Christian to have Jesus and the Holy Spirit in them. As a husband sometimes I would lay my hand on my wife’s belly and feel our children move about. But it was not the same as for her. Our babies were in her! Beckie will always have a unique relationship to them that I nor any other person could have. Through the great pain of their delivery she gave birth to them. And through Jesus he has given birth to us.
If you have never asked Jesus and the Holy Spirit to come into your heart you really need to. You will never have the joy and intimacy with God that he desires for you. Jesus and the Holy Spirit love you and would never abuse you or even take away your free will. They will not make you do things that you don’t want to do. They will always respect you and guard you as a father would his beloved child. All you have to do is simply ask for them to come into your heart and they will, but you must ask because they are a respector of a person's free will. (Lk 11:13) Won’t you invite them into your heart today, and experience the same blessing as Mary having God in you?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, I know that many pastors discourage their laity to have Jesus and the Holy Spirit come into them. Some people reading this may be afraid or uncertain. Please help them to trust you in this just like they trust in Jesus for their forgiveness and reconciliation to you. I ask this in Jesus holy name.
