DAY 21 - January 25 - Christ in me, the Hope of Glory

John 17:21 [Jesus:] that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 2:9 NLT For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Perhaps the greatest mystery of the Christian faith is the miracle of our union with Christ. It’s such a mystery that many Believers don’t even know what it actually means. Our union with Christ means that every Believer already has within them absolutely everything they need to live a full and abundant life!

If we are “complete in Christ,” it means that all the resources to be found through our relationship with Him have already been delivered to the doorstep of our spirit. The mystery we pursue in life is to fully apprehend the resources and power to live fully from the resurrection of Christ. The power hidden within the resurrection has already been freely given to us!

The “Oneness” with the Godhead that Jesus prayed for in John 17:21, isn’t something that hasn’t happened yet, it is something we cultivate continuously through our abiding in Christ! Our faith grows in the soil of intimacy. Allowing the Spirit of Christ to lead us into the depths of knowing the love of God unlocks mysteries and opens doors of understanding for us into the mysteries of His kingdom.

All mysteries become clear in the light of Christ, Who is the Light of the World. Our pursuit of Mystery and the unseen realm is really an exploration into the realms of our inheritance through Jesus Christ. If we abide in Christ we will experience His life - at every level and in every way.

This great mystery is revealed when we share His body and blood in Holy Communion. This sharing results in a Oneness whose mystery we simply must explore. We cannot ignore that God has invited us into an incredible, cosmic participation into the wonder of His Person.

There are several keys that unlock mystery for every Believer. Some we have shared about in past devotionals. Below are listed five ways that we partner with Christ to participate in the unseen realm. As you consider these truths, I encourage you to implement them into your regular practice as a devoted follower of Christ. They will open your heart to deeper encounters with God and revelation into the mysteries of Christ.

Humility to come as a child.
Intimacy that comes to everyone who abides in Him.
Faith in the things we cannot see.
Hope for what is now impossible.
Love that causes us to see the face of God in Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

John 1:4  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

1 John 1:5 NLT This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

John 6:56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Luke 10:21-22 TPT Then Jesus, overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s joy, exclaimed, “Father, thank you, for you are Lord Supreme over heaven and earth! You have hidden the great revelation of this authority from those who are proud, those wise in their own eyes, and you have shared it with these who humbled themselves. Yes, Father. This is what pleases your heart: to give these things to those who are like trusting children. [22] “Father, you have entrusted me with all that you have. No one fully knows the Son except the Father. And no one fully knows the Father except the Son. But the Son is able to reveal the Father to anyone he chooses.”

Mark 10:13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

1 Corinthians 12:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Romans 4:18 NLT Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”

MEDITATION

• From the five keys listed above, pick one that you feel could be strengthened in your life and strategize ways to improve in that area.

• How does being complete in Christ make a difference to your pursuit of the mystery of the unseen realm?

• Describe what your union with Christ looks like to other people.