& my interest was piqued

When grace happens, Christ enters.  Christ in you, the hope of glory!

For many years, I missed this truth.  I believed all the other prepositions:

Christ for me, with me, ahead of me.  But I never imagined that Christ was in me.

I can’t blame my deficiency on Scripture. Paul refers to it 216 times.  John mentions it 26.  No other religion or philosophy makes such a claim.  No other movement implies the living presence of its founder in his followers.

Muhammad does not indwell Muslims.  Buddha does not inhabit Buddhists.

Influence?  Instruct?  Yes.  But occupy?  No.

The mystery in a nutshell is Colossians 1:27:  “Christ is in you!”

The Christian is a person in whom Christ is happening!  We sense his re-arranging.  He’s turning debris into the divine, a pig’s ear into silk purse.  Little by little a new image emerges!

God’s Grace!

From GRACE by Max Lucado

Life is so much easier if we can put labels on people!  Pigeonholing permits us to wash our hands and leave.

“Oh I know him—he’s an alcoholic.

“She’s a liberal Democrat.”

“He’s divorced.”

Categorizing others creates distance and gives us a convenient exit strategy for avoiding involvement.  Jesus took an entirely different approach.  He was all about including people.

John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

Jesus touched lepers and loved foreigners. His Facebook page included the likes of Matthew the IRS agent, and some floozy he met at Simon’s house.  Jesus set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave.  He became human!

Jesus sends this message: Don’t call any person common.  Don’t call any person unfit! Every person matters to God.

From GRACE BY Max Lucado