Genesis 10-12
Matthew 4

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

What is this mystery? The glorious mystery of the gospel is that through Jesus’s work of atonement on the cross, when we place our trust in Him, He makes His home in us—both Jews and Gentiles. In other words, when we come to faith in Jesus, Christ is in us! This is why as Christians, we are called a new creation as Paul tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ in us is the only pathway to His glory making its way into our daily experience, not some philosophical idea, some religious rules or some special ordinances that we have to observe, but the Person of Jesus Christ in us. 

When Christ enters into our experience, everything changes. Why? Because when Christ makes His home in our hearts, our desires, our appetites and our behaviour start to change as levels of His glory increasingly show up in our choices in life. 

When I (Brett McBride) became a Christian close to 30 years ago, I was on a path running away from God. I had grown up in the church, but I did not want much to do with it. I found church boring, and I did not like reading the Bible. Then, through a series of circumstances, Christ got my attention, got a hold of me. I remember when I placed my faith in the gospel, Christ entered into my life. I did not wake up the next day and started to read the Bible right away, but something had changed. Whenever I engaged in a behaviour that was opposite of God’s desires, it started to bother me. When I started to sin, I felt convicted and was like, “Whoa, what is this feeling?” The things that I once thought were fun stopped being fun. 

The mystery of “Christ in you” is what started to transform my behaviour. When I started to read the Bible, I was blown away pages after pages—the words started to make sense to me! I began doing long devotionals because I could not get enough of God’s Word. I also had a desire to tell others about what Jesus had done in my life. I remember being in a crowded setting and the Spirit in me was prompting me to tell others about what Christ did for me. I had a burning desire to share the gospel because I thought to myself, “Man, if God can save a messed up sinner like me, He can save anybody.”

We can never be too far from God to be saved. The mystery of the gospel is for everyone.
 
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for making a home in my heart and transforming my life after You. I pray for Your boldness and courage to share this good news with everyone that I meet.