February 5, 2018

To Read: Deuteronomy 7

To Know: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (Jn. 15:4)

Many ask, “what would Jesus do?” The question is more easily answered than many think. First, Jesus already did what he would have us do. The Bible is action-packed. Mark’s gospel is positively dynamic. Breathlessly, Mark chronicles the public ministry of Christ that ended in his crucifixion. The word immediately hurries us through Mark leaving the impression that hardly an hour passed when the Lord did not do something vital. Two thousand years later, we still know what Jesus did during the days of his flesh. Second, the Jesus of the Bible, having risen from the dead, is presently active. Using only seven words, the apostle Paul sums up the authentic Christian life, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27)

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the author of Hebrews wrote, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (13:8) The same Jesus, who two millennia ago did the will of God, now abides in those who trust in his name and promises to do now what he did then. Anti-supernatural Christianity treats the Christian life as an exercise in mimicry. This emasculated version of the Christian faith was heralded from many 20th century pulpits. Liberal preachers urged their hearers to copy Christ, without telling them the mystery or secret of godliness. The Christian life is lived by faith. This is the faith that the same Jesus, who did mighty deeds in ancient Israel, does those deeds now by the hands of those who trust in his promises.

To Do: Christ in you might be restated, Christ in connection with you. Being in Christ is spiritual, not mystical. Jesus Christ is as real as we are. When we live in connection with him, he delights in doing what we ask him to