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As a student, I am learning to relish the unexpected “Aha!” moments I get while studying. These ephemeral eureka occurrences give me instant gratification and encourage me to forge ahead in my studies. Even more than academic “aha” moments, what I really treasure are my spiritual “aha” moments. Sometimes when I’m spiritually stuck, the Lord graciously gives me a realization so that I can have a way forward in my Christian life. These moments are precious to me because they don’t simply relieve my soul temporarily, but they impact my spiritual life eternally.

How Close is Christ to Us?

Now, I must tell you about one of the most profound realizations that I’ve had in my Christian life. It is rooted in a weighty thought found throughout the Bible: “Christ is in you”. (2 Cor 13:5; Rom 8:10; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27)

These four penetrating words changed the course of my Christian life. They caused me to re-evaluate and appreciate Christ’s proximity to me. “Christ is in you”. How much closer could Christ get? Many Christians, including myself, have struggled with the feeling that Christ is far away and unreachable. I have tried to reach Christ objectively through His word, only to grasp at a fleeting moment of closeness. However, now that I’ve realized that Christ is in me, I don’t have to grasp any longer!

Because the Bible states that “Christ is in you”, we as Christians can forget the feelings and stand on the fact! The reality is that Christ is in us. We don’t need to feel far from Him and look for Him outwardly. We can stand firm on the truth and find Christ as a living person in us.

Available and Accessible

After having this great realization, I became very impressed with the implications of Christ being in me. Christ as reality is in me (John 1:14). Christ as light is in me (John 8:12). Christ as resurrection is in me (John 11:25). All that He is and all that He has accomplished is in me. So when I am in a rut and need some life, there is a rich supply I can access within me. Instead of asking God for a dose of life, I can turn to Jesus within and ask Him for more of Himself. I can simply say, “Lord, I am in a low situation. Thank You that You are life and that You are in me. Please supply me with Yourself right now. ”

The Subjective Christ

Realizing that Christ is in me gave me a way to progress spiritually. This realization opened my eyes to see who Christ is and what His heart for man is. I am starting to see that Christ didn’t come down to man merely to be known objectively, but that He came to us to be experienced subjectively. I am starting to see that God didn’t simply give us Christ to redeem us, but He gave us Christ to supply us.

Having the realization that “Christ is in you” is essential for us to go on in our Christian life. Without the subjective realization that Christ is in us, God will always feel far away. However, once we realize that there is another person living inside of us, we are able to come close to Him, know Him subjectively, and live by faith. As we have this realization again and again, and come to be supplied by Him, we will come to know Christ as life and eventually, like Paul, we will be able to say that “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

By: S. Chen

Sarah Chen
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