Spiritual Blessings: the Benefits of Being in Christ
Being in Christ is the place where our sense of being, which is our true identity, strengthens and rests in God’s presence.
Most people would argue that people have five senses: hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling. I am going to add the sense of being as a sixth sense, and I believe the sense of being is the most important one.
Why? When our sense of being is out of balance, our thoughts, moods, relationships, and physical health no longer align with Jesus Christ as the solid Rock.
What is our sense of being? Our sense of being is our identity, our true self. When our true self is being rooted in Christ, we remain in God’s presence.
William B. Bradbury’s old hymn says in the refrain, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.”
When one is being rooted in Christ as the solid Rock, our lives speak as a testimony to the work that Christ has done in our lives. Our lives change, our routines change, and our preferences and lifestyles change. Our faith becomes real and active.
Without Christ, our sense of being remains in sinking sand. The enemy has ground in our thoughts, moods, relationships, and health. Stress, chaos, and unrest characterize our lives.
Ephesians 1:3 NIV says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
One of the benefits of being in Christ is noted in Ephesians 1:3. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing as long as we are being in Christ daily.
How does one become in Jesus Christ?
First, know your identity
If you ask anyone the question, “Who are you really?“, that person will tell you about his or her relationships, career, achievement, or hobby. I am a Christian, wife, mother, and counselor.
In John 4, Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan woman about her identity. In verse 16, Jesus instructs the woman to call her husband and return. She replies that she does not have a husband, but Jesus already knows that she has no husband. More so, Jesus tells her about her five husbands and how he knows who she is.
My favorite part of that story is when Jesus reveals his own identity to the woman. In John 4:22, Jesus says, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” Later, in verse 26 Jesus says, “I, the one speaking to you–I am he.”
This conversation about identity being in Christ was enough for the woman to return to her town and to become a testimony for Jesus. She did not require Jesus to do some amazing miracle to turn to Jesus, she only needed identity in Christ Jesus as Lord.
Second, a strong sense of being requires rest
Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
Failing to gain proper rest for our bodies and souls invites the temptation to live life in our abilities and strength. This temptation opens the door to sinking sand in our sense of being and weakens the benefits of being in Christ.
On the other hand, rest allows us to step away from the hustle, bustle, and chaos of our daily lives. Rest allows us to focus our eyes and live daily being rooted in Christ.
Third, being in Christ means being in God’s presence
John 10:27 NIV says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Isaiah 9:6 NIV says, “…And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
We must learn to quiet ourselves in prayer to hear God’s voice and to receive the benefits of being in Christ. Only then can we truly know Jesus Christ, the solid Rock, as the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Spending time with Jesus starts with simply sitting in stillness and asking Jesus to meet you where you are. He will send the Holy Spirit to give you identity, rest, and fullness in your sense of being.
“On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.”—William B. Bradbury.
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