God Lives Inside
There have been literally thousands of books published over the years on Christian Living. It is such a practical subject and one that almost all of us want to contemplate and improve on. It sells books like crazy because we all find ourselves pulled between good and evil, or at least better and best. We are called to live up to that which God has done and is doing for us. We are called to “walk worthily of our calling” because we are representing God while here on this earth. God has laid His greatest treasure in earthen vessels… and that’s us. It is a humbling and awesome responsibility when you think about it.
How do we live in such a way where God is reflected in what we do? How do we keep motivated and headed in the right direction? What is the key? Or as many would tell you, what are the keys? What must we learn? What must we practice? Where is the best place to go to get such information? All of these questions bounce around in us constantly.
I cannot tell you how many times in my life I’ve walked up to someone talking and all of a sudden the conversation fell silent. Many times you might hear, “Shhhh! The preacher is coming.” Evidently something was being said or done of which the preacher would not approve. I’ve had people throw a “cussin’ fit” and then say, “Sorry preacher.” Somehow being in the presence of a preacher changes people’s behavior.
If you could literally step this very moment in the very presence of God, how would you behave? Think about it. Ask yourself and seek an answer. Use your righteous imagination and see what you come up with.
Paul worked diligently with the church at Corinth, especially on moral issues. They had come from a very loose society and religious practice. Their whole sense of right and wrong had to be adjusted to fit the righteous living in which God was calling them to live. In discussing these principles and dealing with these problems, Paul asked this question of them. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor. 6:19) He called them to understand that God lives inside of us. There is no place on this earth, whether in light or in darkness, where we can go and escape the presence of God. He is always there.
I do not need a bookshelf full of books on Christian living. I need to understand that every where my foot goes, God goes with it. Everything my mouth utters, God hears it before I say it. I can whisper and He knows. I can shout and He heard it way before I said it. I am not alone…. EVER! God is always there, no matter where I go or what I do, He is there.
If I could create in myself an acute awareness of the presence of God in my life day and night, week after week, month after month and year after year, it might just prompt me to live better. It might just have a corrective nature on my speech and my actions. When I make a decision, I will not have to look far for help. When I have a thought, I will not have to go anywhere to share it. When I do a good deed, it is the hand of God which reaches out of me to do it, not mine. When I carry the message of the Christ to another, it is the voice of God who speaks. God is there… Always! Do you know what? We are always in the very presence of God, day and night, every moment of our lives. And, if I can remember that, I will live better.