Far Above

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:1-4 NKJV

This is John's testimony for Christ Jesus the Lord who dearly loved him while He was on the earth as the Son of Man. John tells us two things here - relationship and fellowship. By conversion, we became part of the family of God as His dear children. The sign of conversion is to call God "Abba, Father."

By this mysterious union with our Lord Jesus Christ, we're in Him. That's a dramatic experience accompanied by the indescribable joy and freedom in Christ at the moment of being accepted by the Heavenly Father. No matter what you were in the past, you have experienced such an exquisite joy when you entered into the family of God.

But, that's not the end of Christian experience, but the beginning of new beginning. Fellowship with Him now is next. It is experiencing His power and presence in the midst of our daily, humdrum, routine lives. Just as we are in Him (relationship), so also Christ Jesus is in us (fellowship). It’s called communion.

Apostle Paul says it had not been disclosed for generations and ages, but has now been disclosed. That is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:29) Entering into and maintaining the fellowship with God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ, we can meet the need for our daily pressures and stresses. The power to meet the need for life is not from us but from Him who indwells within us. To let loose that marvelous power in your midst, you must say "no" to the flesh first and say "yes" to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Practically, the moment of being pressured for you to get your right is the God-given opportunity to exercise such a power from within, which surpasses all power in heaven and on earth. The pressured moments could be from your wife, children, or co-workers at work. Remember that the one who wanted to get even is not the new self who has risen from dead with Christ, but the old self who died to sin.  

Simply by faith submit yourself [deny yourself] to Christ Jesus the Lord who is available within and right there to meet your need. When you reckon on Him completely, you can say kind and encouraging words to those who caused stress, being patient with joy, instead of being angry and frustrated. This kind of life is possible when you maintain continual fellowship with Jesus Christ. The good news is that this amazing power is available to all believers in the Father God through the Son Jesus Christ the Lord.

That power is beautifully and accurately described by Paul in the Epistle of Ephesians. “…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:19-21 NKJV)