1 Corinthians 3:16

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NKJV)

Almighty God has many titles and descriptions. He is Creator of the universe which means, that while He can exist within our universe, He also exists outside of it and apart from it. We cannot, at least in these present forms, separate ourselves from the universe and its laws. We cannot ignore gravity and fly through the air or ignore time and travel to distant pasts. We cannot stop breathing and continue to live nor separate our atoms and continue to exist. But God is separate from all these things. He is God and as Creator is apart from creation.

He is Master of the universe. He controls all, rules all, oversees all.

By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;
You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice. (Psalm 65:5-8 NKJV)

And yet, the God Who is Creator and Master has also deemed it not only possible but needful for His very Spirit to live within us who are believers. It’s an amazing thing to me, something that continues to confound and surprise me.

I know that I often become so preoccupied with the things around me that I forget that God Himself lives within me and has a plan for me that is far better than anything I could imagine. I’m so busy trying to fix things and organize things and simply “do” that I forget that He has already done it all, has already worked it all out, and as a seal of His love for me placed His very Spirit within me. I don’t have to rely on a priest in Jerusalem to go into the Holy of Holies to approach Him for me. I can drop to my knees—literally or figuratively—and meet Him at the Throne with any request, any need, any plea and He is there. God with men. God with me!

This Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent. The day the Church celebrates the angel visiting Mary with the news that she would be the mother of the King, the One named Emmanuel, God with us. But today—and everyday—I can celebrate the fact that Emmanuel lives within me, desiring to change me into His image, saving me, keeping me, loving me. I am but a simple woman and often wrong in many of the things I decide and do. But God continues to love me and continues to pour His Spirit into me.

It’s simply amazing.

© 2010 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.