“Amid the storms of your little existence– the sins and sufferings, the failure and faltering, the waywardness and wandering– Jesus is going to walk you right into heaven.

He is not just with you. He is in you, and you in Him.

His destiny now falls on you. His union with you at both the macro and micro levels guarantees your eventual glory and rest and calm. You may as well question gravity as question the certainty of what your union with Him means for your final future.

So consider the darkness that remains in your life. The spiritual lethargy. The habitual sin. The deep-seated resentment. That place in your life where you feel most defeated. Our sins loom large. They seem so insurmountable.

But Christ and your union with Him loom larger still.

As far as sin in your life reaches, Christ and your union with Him reach further.

As deep as your failure goes, Christ and your union with Him go deeper still.

As strong as your sin feels, the bond of your oneness with Jesus Christ is stronger still.

Live the rest of your life mindful of your union with the prince of heaven.

Rest in the knowledge that your sins and failures can never kick you out of Christ. Let an ever-deepening awareness of your union with Him strengthen your resistance to sin.

See it in the Bible. Ponder his tireless care for you.

You have been strengthened with the power to fight and overcome sin because the power that raised Jesus from the dead now resides in you, living and active– for Jesus Christ Himself resides in you.

You can never be justifiably accused ever again. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Draw strength from your oneness with Jesus. You are no longer alone. No longer isolated.

When you sin, don’t give up. Let Him pick you up and put you on your feet again with fresh dignity.

He lifts your chin, looks you in the eye, and defines your existence: “you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20).”

–Dane Ortlund, Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 66-67.