Tag: abide

The Presence of Jesus

When we realize that our thought today shapes our circumstances tomorrow, and our act today will come back to us in kind, we are far more careful about what we think and what we do.

Meditation Thought: “And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:62-64)

Though relatively few would see Jesus in the flesh after this trial and His crucifixion, many would perceive His place as being in authority by His proximity to God the Father, and would perceive Jesus’ coming by the means of the Holy Spirit – not a visible body manifestation of Jesus, but an inner knowledge of His Presence.

And it would transform them, for the truth of Jesus’ teachings concerning eternal life would be demonstrated. To perceive that what we are – and what we do – is not limited to our physical existence, but, both here in the time span of our physical manifestation, and later, in another manifestation, is to accept a new standard of thinking and behavior.

When we realize that our thought today shapes our circumstances tomorrow, and our act today will come back to us in kind, we are far more careful about what we think and what we do. This can be a great burden – if we resent this truth. Or it can be a great joy – if we “see” Jesus with our “mind’s eye” coming int our lives “on clouds of glory” – bringing the atmosphere of heaven into the physical realm, while bringing us His Presence to abide with us – and His Presence makes all the difference for us as we cope with life in the flesh, learning how to better cope with life in other realms.

We have all we need to go undefeated by any circumstance; we are protected from ultimate harm; we have an awareness of beauty, harmony and order; we have strength and joy and appreciation of all of life: external, internal and eternal.

The Presence of Jesus gives us courage, hope, and confidence far beyond that which we have without His Presence. Others may not see Him as our constant companion – nevertheless, they will see the results of His companionship. They will respond to the results. In this manner, do we have a transformed life: we are “new creatures” in Christ.

Change the Course of History

This is why 12 men could change the course of history…

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 14:17

He who is righteous in attitude, who promotes peace, and who works in joy through the power of the Holy Spirit, shall enter into the kingdom of God who is in heaven and shall abide therein while at the same time abiding in the flesh. The time will come when flesh is shed and still there is abiding in the kingdom, but to abide in the kingdom it is not necessary to shed the flesh.

This is the message of the crucifixion – though it appears that the message is to reassure of life after shedding the body, its key message is that the Power which can bring a spirit to be expressed in bodily form is the same Power which also is able to reverse the process; that is, the body is to be expressed spiritually. This is the basis and meaning of all commandments which have been taught by Jesus.

Those who sought God before the life of Jesus were seeking for this knowledge, finding it to various degrees – but once Jesus lived in the flesh it became possible to know God intimately, and to dwell with Him personally while still in the body with full knowledge of this fact. This is why 12 men could change the course of history even when their Leader was not longer in the flesh – they had no earthly power: no political authority, no wealth, no ‘family connections’ – only the sure knowledge that God had come to dwell with them, to show His love, and to empower them to do His works. And they did, Despite all kinds of obstacles and persecutions, they followed their Jesus dwelling within them in the form of the Holy Spirit as surely and as devotedly as they had followed Him in the flesh.

And their example is clear to us. They not only wrought great change in history, but recorded the process of how they did it so clearly that we have no difficulty in understanding the process or imitating it, if we so chose.

There are ‘miracles’ changing the course of history wherever a loyal heart follows Christ, doing the Father’s works, expressing the Father’s love, carrying on in the tradition of those who knew Jesus in the flesh – and knew Him just as intimately in the Spirit.

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