eSession 3

You and God

One of the most grand and mysterious assertions in all of scriptures is that God dwells within us.
"Christ in me, the hope of glory." Colossians. 1:27

"He (God) that is within you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world." I John 4:4

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4: 13

None of these assertions, of course, are saying that you are God; only that God is in you. Have you ever met someone who didn't appear to have this distinction down? Such people are so serious and rarely capable of laughing at themselves: a sure sign of having contracted the disease of arrogance.

G.K. Chesterton wrote that, "Satan fell by force of gravity: he took himself too seriously." Seeking to know God, seeking to be available to God, to be filled with God's presence is not the same as seeking to become God. It is an unbearable burden to pretend one is no longer human, but has become divine. The pomposity of it all is a waste of energy and gets in the way of any authentic spiritual progress.

You and I are humans. This is okay with God. After all, it was God that made us this way.

Where is God?

God is everywhere. In theological jargon, God is omnipresent. All of God is everywhere at all times. "Part" of God is not over there, with another "part" of God somewhere else. God doesn't have "parts." God Is.

Those who are on the correct path see God everywhere and it gives them a different perspective on life. The average person lives in a puddle of self-importance so that when anything goes wrong it feels like a tsunami. When those who know that they live in an ocean of God's presence experience difficulties, it is as if a pebble just dropped into the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the great challenges for many people who have chosen to make the journey, is not so much that God is everywhere, but the notion that God is within them. For these people, God is out there, but not "in here." If this is your belief, such a misunderstanding will rob you of the power and the wisdom needed for your journey.

God Is In this Mess?

"But look at my rubbish. God certainly can't be within such a mess as me." Well, if God can't abide in a mess then you would be correct. But the fact is God accepts you where you are. I am not saying that God approves of everything you do or who you have become up until now. I am saying that when you step onto the path, God accepts and embraces you. (Rom. 15:7) The life, death and resurrection of Jesus declared that God not only can embrace a mess, but that God can and does redeem messes. God embraces ugliness in order to restore it to beauty. God fills you so as to transform you.

Think of this…listen to this…feel this…see this in your mind's eye:

Go back and read these assertions out loud and make them personal. "The God who created the universe dwells in me…God the miracle worker lives in me…God the healer resides in me…" Do it right now. I'll wait…

Do you think that if you affirmed and confessed these truths every day, that your perspective of yourself and your life might change? (The caveat to these confessions, of course, is this: Have you asked God to come into your life, yet?)

A large part of your journey is about learning to live and act in this reality. If you see God as someone out there, life will be lived in one way. If you see God as also living in you, life will be lived in an entirely different manner.

Let's look at a few of these affirmations

God in You!

The God who created the universe dwells within you. Think about this, see it in your mind's eye, feel it resonate within your heart. The God who created stars, orchids and dolphins is residing in you as you read these words. Is it possible that this may have some implications for your own capacity for creativity?

Any lack of creativity on our parts, whether it is in producing works of art, solving problems at the office or creating more beauty in our relationships, is either a matter of choice on our parts or a matter of not giving ourselves over more fully to God, allowing Him to transform us with His grace.

Every day we should look around us and see where we can be more creative: not simply so as to be more effective and efficient, but so as to create more beauty in our world.

Frequently call on the God within you to open your eyes, your ears, your feelings, and your capacities for tasting and smelling to new perspectives, new juxtapositions, and new ideas. Do this in every area of your life.

God the miracle worker lives in you. The same God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in you. The same God that parted the Red Sea, delivering the Israelites from the Egyptians, the same God that turned water into the very best of wines at the wedding party in Cana, lives in you. Mind boggling, isn't it?

The God who is everywhere at all times, is in you. Feel this. God who is right now wholly in San Francisco is also just as wholly in Beijing, as well as on Mars. The same God who is wholly inside you is also wholly within your fellow travelers and--hear this--is also wholly in and through and around every space in between. God doesn't travel anywhere, God simply 'is.'

Yes, this is beyond our comprehension. Of course, if you could comprehend God, would that be a God worthy of worship or merely a superhero worthy of respect?

God is both above us (transcendent) and with us (immanent). God is our Lord and our Father. He commands us and gives us the power to obey. God is both our creator and the one who sustains us moment by moment for our journey.

Given this reality, how is that we can ever feel or see ourselves as being inadequate for life's challenges? How is that we can ever say, "I am overwhelmed?" As St. John said, as we live in (abide in) Christ and He in us, we can ask what we wish and it will be done! (John 15)

As we mature in the process of relating to God, the more fruitful and productive we become, learning how to draw on the infinite resources of our Creator and Savior. Given our Spirit-energized human potential, how is it that we so often lead such dreary lives? Given who we are, in and with God, how is it that we are not exploding with power to do good, demonstrating mercy and love?

Next eSession>

 

• God is within you, you are not God
  
• God is in this mess?
  
• What does it mean to have God dwelling within you?

 

 

 

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God & You