Day 36 | 1 John 2:24–3:24

Read 1 John 2:24–3:24

What does it mean to be “in” Christ? Is it like being “in” a room? Sort of, but not really. Is it like being “in” a family? Yes, in a way. But that still doesn’t completely represent the full extent of what it means to be in Jesus. When John writes about being “in” Jesus, he describes a relationship that’s so close that it’s like we are completely covered on all sides by Jesus. No matter what angle we look at, Jesus is first in the line of sight.

Achieving that kind of closeness, even for a moment, is a miracle of Red Sea-parting proportions. So what makes John’s words even more remarkable is that he instructs us to “remain,” or in other words, stay there. We shouldn’t only be there for a moment. A characteristic of our lives should be that we are constantly surrounded by Jesus on every side. That kind of miracle makes parting the Red Sea look easy, because as soon as we seem to be completely engulfed, we turn around and find we’re looking at something that isn’t Jesus.

What we must remember, though, is that John gave this instruction because Jesus gave us this instruction. In fact, you may recall John recorded it himself in his Gospel. Jesus said, “Remain in my love” (John 15:9), because he knew we can’t be complete any other way. And he reassures us that “remaining” is possible because “the Spirit of truth,” who lives in those of us who follow Jesus, allows us to stay grounded and shielded. We can truly stay, or “remain,” when we allow his power to work in and through us.

Begin praying with Psalm 3:3:
“But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.”