Christian living can be like a glass of sweet tea. It is amazing how sugar transforms tea into something really good. Even though it is invisible when it is in the tea it changes everything. Any bitterness is removed and replaced by a soothing sweetness. The same is true with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives (God in us, invisible but powerful; making something good of our life). Like tea without sugar, you can tell when a life is just religious, but without the Spirit of God living on the inside.

I was advised to use artificial sweetener. I remember ordering unsweet tea, and then, I added the substitute sweetener. There were a lot of tiny flakes in the drink. I thought that something was wrong with the tea but it was the artificial sweetener that would not hide; neither will artificial Christianity hide itself. It will show up in many ways.

It was said of the early Christians that the people could tell that they had been with Jesus. That was true, but you could tell more than that: The Spirit of God was hidden and living in them. They were in Christ, and He was in them.

I sat at the table of a most humble missionary saint. “Let us pray,” he said; and then he continued: “Bless the food upon our dish, as Thou didst bless the loaves and fish. As the sugar hides in tea, hide Thou Lord in me.” And everybody said, AMEN.

“There’s a sweet, sweet, spirit in this place
And I know that it’s the spirit of the Lord
There are sweet expressions on each face
And I know you feel the presence of the Lord”