However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:9-11
Our God is not one who holds us at a distance, but a God whose Spirit comes to dwell within us. Our God is a God who shares his very life with us! This is exciting news even to us who are accustomed to hearing it, and I find it fascinating to imagine the looks on the faces of the members of the Roman community to whom Paul sent this letter. In our busy world, the challenge in this scripture for us may be in first learning to be present to ourselves in whom God dwells. Otherwise, could it seem that we are dead to Christ alive in us? Our Easter prayer may be a sincere request that Christ awaken us to ourselves and to His presence alive within us.
(c) 2018 Eunice Cheshire
HeartPaths Core Faculty
Spiritual Director and Supervisor