Despite the fact that I am the former English teacher, it is
my husband who can still recite a list of prepositions he learned in high
school. What a show-off! No matter how many we can list, it is important
to know that although prepositions are usually small words, they can make a big
difference in the grammar of the sentence and its meaning.
As I did
a lesson for a Bible study group that explores how Christ is “in” us, I was
reminded of the importance of trying to more fully appreciate His living
presence as described in the New Testament.
According to John’s account, Jesus told his disciples that it was to
their advantage that He would be going away.
He spoke of “the Helper” and promised them this: “I will pray the Father, and He will give you
another Helper . . . the Spirit of truth . . . for He dwells with
you and will be in you” John 14:16,17).
Note two different prepositions and two different verb tenses for us to
pay attention to (spoken like a true English teacher).
In the
Old Testament, God presented Himself as the presence that would be with His
people. In Exodus 33:14, God made an
important statement and promise to Moses, saying “My Presence will go with you,
and I will give you rest.” A source of
encouragement, comfort and guidance was revealed to Moses, and God was faithful
to “speak” His word. Sometimes, people,
even His chosen people, were not as good about listening.
When
Jesus referenced this living presence as already dwelling with His people, it
was very significant that He added that this same God who had accompanied them
and led them would now come in some new way to live “in them.” I’m sure I would have been wondering what
Jesus meant by changing those little prepositions.
At meal
time, we often ask one another, “What do you want to drink with dinner?” Once a choice is made, that beverage is
placed next to our plate. We might be
having water or soda or perhaps a more potent liquid, but whatever it is, it
becomes what we are having with our dinner.
For the drink, especially water, to do us any good nutritionally, it
must be consumed, thus getting in us. Only in us, can it possibly nourish our
physical bodies. In fact, we cannot live
too long without drinking water. It is
part of our very life once taken in.
For many
Christians, communion offers a way for Christ’s living presence to be taken
inside of us. It happens by faith when
we purposely anticipate and receive the life this sacrament makes available to
us. In my own life, I have been trying
to be more focused on taking in Christ as the “living water” and “bread of life”
when I have prayer time. I think part of
anything in the faith life is about wanting and seeking God, earnestly desiring
in some way to take more of Him inside our spiritual beings.
One of
the questions in my Bible lesson asks, “What does it mean to you that Christ
lives in your inner being?” My answer,
which I didn’t carefully think out, actually caught my attention with its
simple wording. “It (His presence) is a
well of living water, an immeasurable resource above all others.” May we all more purposely and frequently seek
to partake of the living nourishment of the Holy Spirit that God has so richly
provided for us to dine on. It is to be in,
not with.
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