Come with Me
Christ didn’t invite us to visit—He opened the door to stay.
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Oswald Chambers invites us into the simple, stunning reality of abiding with Christ—not for a moment, not even just a day, but continually. Many of us begin well—we hear Jesus say, “Come,” and we do. We enter into sweet fellowship with Him. But then life interrupts. Worries press in, self-focus returns, and the nearness of Christ seems to drift into the background. Chambers reminds us that abiding in Christ is not situational—it’s unconditional. No life circumstance excludes His presence. He is the One who makes His home in us.
This abiding presence is not a vague spiritual experience—it’s transformational. Jesus renames us in the very places where our self-life used to dominate. Yet, if we resist full surrender, that new identity in Christ only shows in patches. We may carry “spiritual chicken pox”—spots of saintliness amid a soul still clinging to pride or false humility. Chambers warns that even our self-deprecation can mask a subtle pride that denies the power of God’s grace to make us righteous.
The takeaway is piercing: If we don’t believe we’re righteous in Christ, it’s either because we don’t want to be or we don’t trust that God is capable of accomplishing it. But He is. The moment we received Christ, the Father and Son came to dwell with us—and their dwelling is not seasonal. It is eternal. We were never meant to visit Jesus—we were meant to remain with Him, as He remains in us.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I never invited you to visit Me. I invited you to remain. When you first heard Me say, “Come and see,” you didn’t know that what I offered wasn’t a glimpse—it was a dwelling. I brought you into My presence, not for a moment, but for always.
You are not defined by the patches of your best behavior or the moods of your emotions. You are not Simon—you are Cephas. I have given you a new name, and I have written it not in ink but in Spirit. I do not call you righteous because of what you do; I call you righteous because of what I have done. You may still feel the tug of your old ways, but those shadows have no authority. I dwell in you. And I do not move out when the weather changes.
Beware of the disguise of false humility. When you say, “I’m no saint,” what are you really claiming? That My blood isn’t enough? That My indwelling presence isn’t powerful? That your weaknesses are mightier than My grace? I have made you holy. I have seated you with Me in the heavenly realms. I have made My home with you, not for a day, but forever.
Let go of the illusion that your righteousness rises and falls with your effort. I have clothed you in Myself. I am your name. I am your home.
Scriptures referenced: John 1:38–42; Luke 18:13; John 14:23; Ephesians 2:6; Galatians 2:20
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like moving into a new house but only living in one room because you're afraid the whole thing isn’t really yours. You tiptoe, unsure, thinking maybe you're just a guest. But the truth is, the deed is in your name. Every room is yours. Jesus didn’t give you a key to visit—He gave you a new address. It’s time to unpack.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rejoice that I don’t just spend time with You—I live in You, and You in me. Thank You for writing a new name over every part of my life, not in patches but completely. I rest today in the truth that I am righteous in Christ, not by effort but by union. Thank You that You make no distinction between sacred and secular moments when You are the One inhabiting them all. I walk in Your presence, not as a visitor, but as one forever at home.