Is Jesus with Us or in Us?

Sometimes I wonder about the way we are supposed to receive the life of Jesus. It must have been very confusing for the disciples because they had Jesus with them physically. However, even when He was addressing their fears and clearing their doubts, they must have sensed that He was wanting to do something more than just being a Saviour to them. He used to rebuke them not just for their lack of faith but because they did not realise what He was wanting to do in them. He was not just supposed to be with them helping them from the outside but more so, in them helping them from within. For the disciples, everything changed after He left. They thought that they lost everything, little knowing that He was going to be with them in a new way. The coming of the Spirit upon their lives made them see that something new and wonderful was happening. It was not just that His presence was near to them but He was empowering them in a new way. He was filling their lives with new-found joy and peace. It is important to ponder on how this life of Jesus becomes available to us. We are sometimes busy serving Him that we fail to reach out to Him. He has to become our strength and our song. That doesn’t mean that He replaces us. It means that He releases us and empowers us.