Jesus in Me

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Jesus did not die on the cross just to get us out of hell and into heaven. He died on the cross to get Himself out of heaven and into us! It's what we were made for. That is why we long for glory. The truth is, we were created to reveal glory -- just not our own. God created us in His image to reveal His glory by giving visibility to His invisible character within us. Christ in us is the hope of glory. - Renee Swope, "A Confident Heart"

Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done...in earth...as it is in Heaven. - Part A of the Lord's Prayer

Jesus in Me

When I say the Lord's prayer, when I hear others say the Lord's prayer, I say the words "on earth." Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  But, when I first learned how to sing the Lord's prayer, I was surprised to see that the words were "in earth."  It didn't make sense to me.  Why would He want Heaven to be in the ground? We, the people who need Heaven to be with us, need it on the surface, where we are. On earth!

 ⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. - Genesis 2:7 (KJV)

Ah...the Holy Spirit it paring away another layer of the onion to reveal a little more of the Lord's wonder and glory.  A while back He changed the way I view the words "give us this day, our daily bread." To read that particular "ah hah" you can visit my previous post here: Bread of Heaven.  And now He's clicking on another light in my soul.  Yes, Jesus died for my sins...but not just to get me into Heaven after this earthly body dies.  He died so that He could come, and bring Heaven with Him, into my world now!

We were created from the dust of the earth. We are earth. And we surely need Heaven in earth!

Jesus gave us this simple prayer. We Christians (at least we Lutheran Christians) say it every time we meet, pretty much.  It's a part of what we do. We breathe, we eat, we say The Lord's Prayer.  I, for one, try to focus on each aspect of that prayer so that I'm really, really praying it (not just saying it by rote).  When Jesus reveals His life within this prayer, His miracle shines so brightly I am blinded by joy!

Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom (Jesus) come. Thy Will (Jesus) be done in earth (in me!) as it is in Heaven. Lord, give us this day, our daily bread (our Bread of Life, Jesus!) and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation (oh, Holy Spirit, please do not lead us to this testing as you did Jesus), but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom (Jesus) and the Power (Jesus) and the Glory (Jesus!), forever and ever. Amen. 


P.S. Lord, please help me have a clean and worthy heart for Jesus to live in. Please help me to look to Him first and then reflect His glory out into this troubled world we currently live in. Please help me to share Heaven with everyone I come into contact with. I love you so very, very much! Amen and Amen.


Blessings and peace,

Leah