When Jesus Dwells in You Richly

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12, ESV).

I recently had a conversation with my son about knowing God. We talked about how he could memorize all sorts of information about his favorite YouTuber. He could quote countless factoids about him. However, this does not mean that he knows the guy. Instead, he is admiring him from a distance.

Tragically, so many people alive today approach God’s existence this way. Many can recite all sorts of information about Him. This can even include a knowledge of Scripture without real knowledge of God. Even the devil can quote Scripture. I think that no one would dispute, however, that he has no relationship with God. Facts and memorization do not necessarily lead to knowing God personally.

Daddy God does not want to be a distant public figure, to be admired from a distance. Instead, He wants to be intimately involved with you and me. He cares passionately about every detail of our lives. Once we hear Him calling at the door of our hearts and let Him in, something beautiful starts to happen. He comes to dwell in us. He takes up permanent residence in the very core of us.

Did you know that one of His names is the Word of God (Rev. 19:13)? When we give Him our “yes,” the Word begins to “dwell in us richly, with all wisdom” (Col. 3:16). That is, Jesus Himself begins to dwell in us richly. He begins to impart to us wisdom that would be impossible for us to have on our own. He Himself is “the Wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24).

As the Word of God, He is “living and active” (Heb. 4:12). His presence inside of us is dynamic, constantly at work, making improvements, fixing up the place, bringing forth beauty that wasn’t there before. He also begins to show us what we had not previously been able to see: the hidden “thoughts and intentions of the heart.” As we yield each one of these to Him, He initiates a very slow, gradual process of transformation. He begins to shape these newly exposed spaces into places that reflect His loveliness.

All of this wonderful, exacting, glorious, all-consuming process comes out of knowing Jesus intimately… as one can only know Him from oneness with Him. His indwelling, and His constant renovation work, is up close and very personal.

What, then, is our place in this process? Simply to give Him room. To make room for Him, and to surrender continually to His restoration project. We are to “humbly accept the word God has planted in our hearts, for it has the power to save our souls” (James 1:21, NLT, personalized). Who is that Word again? Jesus. As we humbly yield to His very life being planted inside of us, His living and active presence never ceases to work in us. It literally has power to save our souls. Right this very moment, that’s what Jesus the Word is doing inside of us. Saving us. Changing us. Bringing us further and further into abundant life.

“So this is why we abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us” (James 1:21, TPT).

****************************************

Have you experienced the Word as living and active, constantly at work inside of you? Would you share something about how you experience Him that way? I’d love to hear about it!