Christ Lives In Me

INTRO: I wrote this Christian poem in the first few months after coming back to my Christian faith. The first sermon that I heard, in the first church service that I had attended in 30 years, was titled ‘Christ lives in you.’ At the time, I was so nervous about falling back into my old way of life. I studied these Bible verses and prayed this poem daily for several weeks until I had a confident understanding of this part of my faith. Beverley Joy

PODCAST – Christ Lives in Me

It is no longer important

How I appear to you

Or what you think of me

Or if what I do pleases you.

For I am no longer driven

To live for you or me

I am dead to my old life

I now live, alive in Christ.

I no longer crave your love

For God’s love has satisfied

He broke the chains that bound me

To the unhealthy love we had.

For the life you see me living

Is no longer mine to live

My past is gone, never to return

God saved me from myself.

I still live in my body

In a physical sense, that is

But now God’s Spirit lives in me

To help me live God’s way.

God’s Spirit taught me how to love

By studying, listening, and going to church

He loves so much He gave His son

To save me from His punishment.

I refuse to go back to my old life

To do that would abuse God’s grace

I do not deserve His forgiveness

Nor for Jesus to pay sin’s debt.

If we could achieve salvation

By good deeds and work ethic

By showing God how good we are

Then Jesus died for nothing.

We know God’s Spirit lives in us

When we ‘agape’ love

When we love unselfishly

God’s love abides in us.

I know the love God has for me

I trust His love implicitly

For throughout the Old Testament

I read of God’s love in history.

Once God’s Spirit dwells within us

Nothing can separate us

From God’s gracious peace and love

Through turmoil swirl about.

He lives in those who desire Him

Who accept his gift of life

And do not doubt His promise

‘Whom He saves He never leaves.’

You can listen to all my poems on several podcast platforms here

Image by Schäferle from Pixabay

Reference: Galatians 2:19-21, 1 John 4:20-21, Hebrews 13:5
Matthew Henry’s Commentary of the Whole Bible 1960 Marshall, Morgan & Scott
The Zondervan NIV Study Bible 1985 Zondervan Michigan U.S.A.