Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13 ESV)

When we say that Christ is living inside of us, what do we mean by that? Is it the memory of him and his teachings? Is it an idea of him that we have accepted? Or do we truly believe that his Spirit lives in us?

When I came to faith, I used to pray to a distant Jesus because I was taught that he is seated at the right hand of God. I did not realize that he would also make his home inside of me. Paul explained this by writing:

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:9-11).

The thought of God living inside of me was at first an unbelievable truth. And when that truth settled in, I was comforted to know that he is always with me wherever I go.

And so if he is with me, he also gives me the mind of Christ. Through his Spirit we have the abilities to discern spiritual truths and to walk in wisdom. When the Bible says he will direct our steps, that is exactly what he does. Yes, it’s that simple as long as we have faith.

But that does not mean that we should be passive. No, God wants us to be active in our faith. He wants us to study and memorize his word. He advises us to pray and ask him for help. He expects us to share the hope that we have in Christ with others. That is what it means to be a vessel of the living God. When he pours himself into us, we are compelled to pour ourselves out to others because we cannot contain the overflow of his Spirit and his goodness. Yes, we are his vessels and we must flood our communities with his love. So let us be watchful and be ready to go with the flow. The Lord goes before us and the his blessings are ready to be delivered. Trust me. They are way better than that Amazon package sitting on your doorstep.