In Spirit


 
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body
but made alive in the Spirit.
1 Peter 3:18

Has anyone ever said this to you? “I'm so sorry, I can't be there but I will be there in spirit.” It is spoken to be supportive, to show a desire to share the experience but it's impossible for anyone who isn't Jesus Christ.
I cannot be in one place while my spirit is in another. Having been invited to an event, I may keep the invitee in my thoughts. I can pray for her, for the success of her venture. I cannot however, “be their in spirit” because I cannot separate my spirit from my body. Jesus can and did and does.

Deuteronomy 31:6b says, “for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.” John 14:16 says, “And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with your forever--- the Spirit of truth.” Matthew 28:20b says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When we lose a loved one we like to think that person is looking over us, watching, caring for us from heavenly heights. I have no idea what happens after someone dies but I know this, the words from the Scriptures above promise me that Jesus, though no longer on this earth, is still very much alive and stands with me every minute of every day.

Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior are not traveling this world alone. When Jesus returned to the Father he left us a Counselor, Comforter, Guide, to be with us, to dwell in us; that is the Holy Spirit.

Any one of us can pray for a friend, regardless of physical proximity and we can care for them and love them. We cannot be with them unless we are in fact, with them. My friend of longest standing, Mary, lives in Tennessee. I talk to her often but I am rarely with her and being with her is very different from talking to her.

The next time you hear someone say they're with you in spirit or you're tempted to say it to someone else, use it as a reminder of who is truly with you in Spirit.

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