Do you ever wonder if the Christian life might be more wonderful than the life you have been living? Do you ever think that being a Christian might mean more than being forgiven and holding a ‘ticket’ to heaven? Do you imagine that God might really be more loving, more gracious than you had thought? Do you read in the Bible about “an indescribable and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8), or, “the peace of God, which surpasses understanding” (Philippians 4:7) and think, “I want that?” Do you long to live each day “in the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us” (Ephesians 2:7)? It was from my wanting more of God and the life that Jesus came to give that I share with you the following thoughts.
I remember the day I was reading the Bible when, comfortable in the familiarity, God spoke to me through a verse. Perhaps this has happened to you: when a Bible verse becomes more than ink on a page as God whispers it into your heart. You just know that verse is for you; not new, but newly seen and heard.
This happened to me when reading Jesus’ parting words to His disciples as He faced the cross: “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20). With those stunning words Jesus was preparing His frightened, confused disciples for something they could not yet grasp: their intimate oneness with God, the holy mystery soon to be revealed.
Jesus’ promise, “On that day”, points us to the day when the Holy Spirit would come to dwell within Jesus’ followers (John 14:16-17; 16:7; Romans 8:9- 11; 1 Corinthians 3:16). “On that day” was fulfilled on Pentecost when God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Church: Jesus’ followers experienced the risen Christ alive in them (Acts 2:1-4). They would never be the same!
“On that day” marked the momentous turning point in God’s redemption story. Before that day Jesus walked alongside His disciples, but “On that day” He began to live His life in them by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Take a moment to savor the wonder of Jesus’ promise in John 14:20:
“I am in my Father” – Jesus lives in the Father
“you in me” – We live in Jesus
“I in you” – Jesus lives in us
Jesus’ words astonished me as I read and realized there is so much more to being a Christian than I had ever imagined, preached, or taught. As Jesus’ followers we actually share in the life of Jesus and His relationship with His Father. Here is intimate, loving communion beyond anything I had known or imagined. We live in Jesus! Jesus lives in us! Together with Jesus in the Father!
We share in divine life as the apostle Paul explains: “anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). We are branches in the Vine (John 15:1-5) and members of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-17). These are the unfathomable “riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
I read anew John 14:20 and understood that being a Christian is not striving to “be like Jesus”, but actually sharing His life. We live in Jesus, He lives in us, together in our Father. When we face trials we face them not in our own strength or wisdom, but from our oneness with Jesus. When we talk to a hurting friend and don’t know what to say, we get to ask Jesus to speak through us. When we pray, we are not praying to God somewhere far off in heaven but to God who lives within us, sharing life with us. We are not trying harder to be good Christians but abiding ever deeper in Jesus.
I pondered John 14:20 again and again and knew Jesus’ words were far too wonderful for my small definitions. My mental GPS kept saying, “Recalculating!” I felt in over my head, like the teacup trying to contain the ocean. I knew that I could not grasp or ever earn the love of God drawing us into His life and glory. And yet, today and every day God invites us to live into that love and glory of the Three who are One.
John 14:20 reveals a dimension of living far above trying to be like Jesus or trying to be a good Christian. God has so much more for us! This is what I am excited to write about and to share with you in the following pages. And I pray for you as I pray for me, that the apostle Paul’s joyous words might be our words: “For to me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).
It is the joyous mystery of the believer’s oneness with Christ that will be our focus over these fourteen days. On each day we will explore the Divine Dance of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; a life of love, intimacy, and union. Each day begins with a Prayer for Divine Guidance, asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to God’s wondrous truth. Then we consider a Reflection on a Scripture, allowing God’s Word to speak tenderly and powerfully into our lives. Finally, we take time for Prayerful Pondering, meditating on how to respond, experience, and live out the wonder of life in union with Christ.
We dedicate these fourteen days to living more fully the life Christ offers, a life in which it is truly Christ living in and through us. It is the Divine Dance that God invites us to step into and move in harmony with the God who made us for Himself. Let’s dance!
