From Artificial to Artesian – Living in Christ
An artesian spring bursts forth—not stirred by storms above, but sourced from unseen depths below. So is the life that flows from Christ within.
E. Stanley Jones draws a sharp yet loving contrast between those who live with Christ and those who live in Him. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) portray Jesus walking among His disciples—God with us, Emmanuel. He called them to be “with Him” in person. But after the resurrection and Pentecost, the promise shifted: God not only with us, but in us.
This transition—from external companionship to internal union—marks the difference between a life that needs constant external motivation and one that flows from an internal source. The “with” life often runs dry, requiring sermons to stir it, reminders to rekindle it, and emotional experiences to revive it. But the “in” life? It bubbles up like an artesian well—unstoppable, living, energizing.
Jones gently laments that much of the Church still lives in the “with” stage. Christ is near, yes—convicting, encouraging, nudging—but not indwelling as the center of life. The result is a faith that fluctuates with emotions or circumstances, vulnerable to what some call “the dark night of the soul.” This experience, Jones suggests, often belongs to those who are trying to walk with Christ but have not yet learned to rest in Him.
But when we live in Him and He in us, we draw from His life as our own. Energy is no longer stirred from the outside but flows from within. A believer in Christ becomes a vessel through which divine life moves effortlessly, even into old age, as Jones describes a seventy-five-year-old minister still brimming with vitality—not from human strength, but from Christ within. We don’t just receive visits from God’s presence—we become His dwelling place.
Journal Entry (In the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture):
My child, I no longer walk beside you as one who comes and goes. I dwell in you—your life is hidden with Christ in Me. You are My temple now, and My presence is your constant, unshakable reality. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you and gives life to your mortal body. You are no longer trying to live for Me; I am living in you, through you, as you.
You once leaned on outward signs, but now I am your internal compass. I guide you not by pressure from without but by peace within. You have received not a spirit of fear, but of adoption, and you cry out with confidence, “Abba, Father!” You are no longer a servant unsure of his place but a son—an heir—fully accepted, fully alive.
You are not pushed by guilt or stirred by desperation. You are moved by love—My love in you, flowing out as joy, as peace, as patience. You are not artificial but artesian. Rivers of living water flow from your innermost being because you have believed in the Son, and He has made His home in you.
In your union with Me, you bear fruit that lasts. You do not labor in vain, for your labor is no longer yours—it is Mine through you. I am your life. And when Christ, who is your life, appears, you will also appear with Him in glory. But even now, in this moment, I shine through you.
Scripture References: Colossians 3:3; Romans 8:11, 15; Galatians 2:20; John 14:23; Romans 5:5; John 7:38; Philippians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Colossians 3:4
Prayer:
Father, thank You that I am not left to live from outside influence but from Your indwelling life. I no longer chase after feelings or fear their absence. You are in me—constant, alive, sufficient. I trust You to express Your joy, Your love, and Your energy through me today. The well will never run dry, because it is not mine—it is You. Let my walk be an overflow of Your life within. I rest in Your presence, not as one beside me, but as the very One who is my life.
Amen.
Devotional Credit:
Devotional insight taken from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com