#84 THE LOVE WITHIN 9-4-26
Oh what a beautiful thought that the love of Christ is being formed within us. Christianity is not simply about changing our behavior on the outside. It is about Christ changing us on the inside. Paul prayed that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith and that we would be rooted and grounded in love. (Ephesians 3:17) The greatest evidence that Christ lives within us is that His love begins to live through us.
CHRIST IN US IS THE HOPE OF GLORY.
Paul spoke of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) What a thought. The hope of glory is not merely something waiting for us in the future. It is Christ living within us today. His presence gives us hope when life is difficult, peace when circumstances are uncertain, and strength when we are weak. Heaven begins to shape earth when Christ is being formed in our hearts.
Paul could say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) He did not mean that his personality disappeared or that he ceased to be himself. He meant that Christ had become the center of his life. His thoughts were being surrendered to Christ. His desires were being surrendered to Christ. His hands, his words, his decisions, and his relationships were becoming instruments through which Christ could be seen.
CHRIST IS BEING FORMED IN US.
Paul told the Galatians that he was laboring until “Christ is formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19) That is the work God wants to do in every believer. He wants to form Christ in us until we become more patient, more forgiving, more compassionate, more humble, more truthful, and more loving. The goal is not simply that people hear us talk about Jesus. The goal is that they see something of Jesus when they encounter us.
And this is where the love within becomes so important. We cannot manufacture the love of Christ by simply trying harder to be loving. The love of God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) As we surrender ourselves to Christ, His love begins to influence how we see people. We begin to love those who are difficult to love. We begin to forgive those who have wounded us. We begin to serve without demanding recognition. We begin to care more about souls than about ourselves.
There should be something different within us because Christ is within us. The world has enough religion that can be seen on the outside while the heart remains unchanged. What the world needs to see is Christ living in ordinary people. A Christian should carry something of the fragrance of Jesus into every room, every conversation, every relationship, and every act of kindness. “We are the fragrance of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)
The more Christ is formed in us, the less room there is for pride, bitterness, hatred, selfishness, and unforgiveness. The old self begins to decrease while Christ becomes greater. John the Baptist expressed the principle perfectly: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
May Christ not merely be someone we believe in, talk about, worship, and preach. May Christ be the life within us. May His love become our love, His compassion become our compassion, His humility become our humility, and His heart become our heart. Christ in us, the hope of glory. Christ living in us, the love within.
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Father, form Christ in us. Let His love fill our hearts until it overflows into the lives of everyone around us. Help us to surrender our pride, selfishness, bitterness, and desires so that Jesus may be seen in our words, our actions, and our relationships. May we be able to say with Paul, “Christ lives in me.” Let the love within us become a living testimony of the Christ who lives within us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD
