Is God Here With Us? Pt 2

Presence of God

Yes, God is here. He has always been here; always available to you:

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. (Psalm 139: 1-12)

What, you may wonder, does He want from us? How can we know Him; have a relationship?

Relationship with God

If you want God to be in your life, not in the religious, two-hundred-thirty-six-things-I-have-to-do-a-day kind of way, but a relationship, all you have to do is ask. What? Really? Yes, really. But, you say, I'm a sinner. Yup, we all are.

Problem: For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. (Rom 3:23)
Clarification: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Solution: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. they are reborn--not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (John 1:12-13)
Result: Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. . . This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Cor. 5:14-15; 17)

And that elusive, often confusing question crossing the centuries: Is there a heaven? Can I go there?

Yes!

Eternity with God

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. (1 John 5:13-15)

Our hope of an eternity with God is evident throughout the Bible and can provide you with a comforting viewpoint during volatile events in our lives and around the world. Jesus told us as much in John 14:1-4:"Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going." This promise brings us great hope and encourages you and I to look beyond our current struggles. The knowledge that God is preparing a place for those who choose the relationship described above, we have peace during our temporary difficulties, and an everlasting joy awaits us in God’s eternal presence.

The Bible offers us God’s promises. Embracing these truths can transform how we approach our daily lives. We can wake each day with renewed faith, confident in the knowledge that God is with us, illuminating our paths and offering comfort. Whether we are facing challenges, seeking clarity, or longing for hope, we can experience the assurance that comes from trusting in God’s everlasting promises.

Jesus stated that he was God in the flesh, fully human, fully God. Do you want a relationship with him and the promise of heaven? Accept him today. I pray you do.

Peace of God

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt 11:28)

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