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| Where exactly does God live? |
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The Lord’s prayer begins, "Our Father, which art in heaven…"
Yet God declared to his prophet Jeremiah, "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" (Jer. 23:24) Seems a little contradictory to me. Does God really dwell in heaven, or is he presently filling both heaven and earth? How big is heaven? Does it include the entire universe?
Seriously, most people still seem to regard God as separated from mankind (or at least the living ones), even as somewhat aloof and uncaring. Sometimes even the actions of confessing Christians betray a similar belief. But that isn’t the God of the Bible at all!
After giving the Israelite people the law, God instructed Moses:
25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
Though he had already been accompanying them on their journey from Egypt, he chose to actually take up residence with them, by dwelling in the tabernacle (tent). What kind of strange and marvelous Divine Being chooses to do this??? And yet, God had even more in mind than that!
As if to seal his relationship with the Jewish people in matrimony, he had the temple constructed, a permanent place of residence in which to move, just as a husband and wife build a house together in which to share life. But still, he had more in mind! Particularly considering that he allowed that precious temple to be destroyed, not once, but twice, even using the term “divorce” to refer to his failing marriage. (Jer. 3:8)
But then Jesus entered the world, and God had arrived in Person, as an infant human, naked, powerless, and vulnerable, that is, in the greatest humility! Called Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23), his very name meant “God with us”. Here was God in physical presence!! And yet, God still had more in mind!
Emmanuel grew up and established a beautiful ministry to the poor and needy, as we would expect God to do. Yet eventually his earthly ministry concluded, and he returned to the Father. But the climax of the story of God’s dwelling place with man still had not yet occurred. This story actually climaxed at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), when God first took up residence directly within his people, making them (and us) his new temple!! Yes, he refers to the church as a whole as his temple! (Eph. 2:21-22) That’s people he’s livin’ in!!
Actually, when we realize that God seeks to live within individual human beings, we realize that the story of God’s dwelling place climaxes every single time a new heart is opened to his habitation! That the God who fills heaven and earth has chosen to make his home within us should endlessly fill us with awe and wonder, joy and amazement! I know it does me, at least at this stage in my life! Hallelujah indeed!!!!!
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| To add a comment to "Where exactly does God live?" |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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This is Great Bro!
Here is a Question where is our Home?Hopefully with our Heavenly Father! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| That could be an even better question, Doyle.. Thanks! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Which is why the Angels rejoice every time a person gives his heart to the Lord.
WOOHOO!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Bubbles: that picture gives me goosebumps! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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He dwells in each and everyone of us... Isn't that simply amazing? He is a part of each trial and tribulation, joy, sorrow and disappointment that we go through. He knows us inside and out because He is there. Praise Him for being in and of me.....
But He also resides in everything that we see. Sunrise, sunset, flowers, trees, every good thing He is there.
I thank my Father for the gift He has given me (Life) and because of this precious gift I will continue to worship, fear and adore Him all the days of my life. I will strive to be who and what He wants me to be.
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Great observations Mary! I'm so thankful to be in awe with you! God lives in me??? This I just don't understand! In my heart? Isn't it kinda bloody in there??? Yuck! Really though, if we're honest, we can't just explain this in rational terms. It's supernatural! It's a miracle! We in whom he dwells are so....special!! Really! I mean, he doesn't dwell in every person, as some may claim. Today I am amazed! Overjoyed! Pondering the possibilities!!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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I stand in awe constantly, Mike. He dwells in me, one not worthy yet He dwells in me. How do I know this??? He has turned my life completely around (He did it, not me). He has changed my way of thinking, my actions , my whole character. This is not due to the aging process or time. THIS IS GOD.
I am sooo grateful that He continued to knock at my heart and I opened it to Him. There is no greater gift....... |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Aging process or time...lol .. yeah, I know what you mean!!! God is greater than these, even defies these, as they are both symptoms of the fall, both result in decay, not revitalization or a redeemed way of living! Lady, you are getting me excited! :) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| (I would be so blessed to worship our God w/you, I know it!) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Me too little brother, me too |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
15:5I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. I decided to post just a few verses of scriptures which tells me that God does not abide in everyone.
Shalom to you my friend |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Hence why the Angels rejoice when someone decided to live in the vine.
This pleases God our Father |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Well written. I felt like I went on a worthwhile journey. |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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"But then Jesus entered the world, and God had arrived in Person, as an infant human, naked, powerless, and vulnerable, that is, in the greatest humility! Called Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23), his very name meant “God with us”. Here was God in physical presence!! And yet, God still had more in mind!" A lot people can't receive this, but I do. God is amazing He came from heaven to earth to show the way. |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Thanks Destiny. "Journey", good word! God has migrated right into our hearts! Yeppers Bubbles! :) Thanks Marcia, there is indeed ample scriptural evidence. |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| I accept, and marvel right along with you Destiny! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Mike, the private message I sent to you a bit ago was before I read this blog. I just told Jim about this. Wow is just not explosive enough. The timing of this message from you when Jim said that the Lord shared with him that the heart is His church and that the heart trains the mind. I just finished the second class last night on this same subject from a scientific point of view where science is just catching up to scripture that the heart has a brain that transmit to free will in our brain-brain in our head. (singing .....I have the love of Jesus, love of Jesus, down in my heart, Where? down in my heart to stay!) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Juanita Mae, I'll just join right in with your "wow!" then. This blog has been sitting in my drafts for a while. I adapted it from notes for a message I gave at our assisted living service about 6 weeks ago. Interesting how God works!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Intersting read Brother Mike (smile)....It's a marvelous thing to know that God does indeed live in us, when HIS WORD is in us...and we are lead by His Spirit....It's also good to know that JESUS did not just show up in the book of Matthews....He was there ever since the Book of Genesis and has walked all the way to the last chapter of the book of Revelation.......(No man has seen God the Father at any time, nor even heard His Voice)
Where does God the Father live????? In the 3rd Heaven...*His* dwelling place, and where He shall remain until He comes down to this earth to dwell for all eternity, just as it is written in in the Old Testament and the New.....Oh something happened on Pentacost indeed....They were all gathered together to observe the FEAST OF PENTACOST and saw a manifestation of the Spirit of God....That ain't new....the Spirit of God moved all throughout the Old Testament (smile)......Oh I'm glad about it......and surely glad to know that the Spirit of Truth is here to lead us and guide us into ALL TRUTH ;o) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Wow, thank you Mike. It is awesome to remember that WE are HIS TEMPLE!
Leigh |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| WOW, is all I can say, except thank You Jesus!!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Cool you wrote this, cause last night my hubby told me how he'd been praying the day before, and he was tired and discouraged, and wanted to pray but was just...tired. He asked the Lord to show him how big He is. Next thing he knew, he got this picture popping into his head of a sky at sunset, and then he saw this HUGE man filling the sky. long white beard. He saw only His profile. It was just amazing as he described it all, and this isn't doing it justice.....of course, the Lord needed to show Mike in a physical way that his mind could grasp, just how "big" He is. How He keeps everything in order; the snow falls, the birds are fed. The starts shine at night, the sun at day. The water flows, the volcano bubbles, the ocean waves lick against the sand. Just so many things! God is so BIG our minds can't wrap themselves around it, and to think that this Almighty God who has control over the entire earth and its functions, lives within us. Why do we fear?
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Excellent blog my friend -
Blessings! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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God is living in MY HEART. I don't know what I would do right now if He wasn't here.
Thanks Mike, a welcome reminder through all my packing and "Bubble Wrap" ;)
LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU & FAMILY. |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Thank you Lynne, Panda, Leigh, and Godsway -- your amens are a real blessing! :) Lara, w/Someone that big in us, indeed WHY do we fear? (Well, I guess it's the things we don't like that we fear, like pain, hunger, grief, etc.) But he's also given us hope, along with his comforting presence. I'm still in awe! Marjay, I only recall one tiny mention of the "third heaven" in all of scripture, and even Paul admitted he really didn't know anything about it. So I'll have to take your word for that for now. But thanks for your comment sister! Rejoicing with you and praising the God who lives within us! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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.......(No man has seen God the Father at any time, nor even heard His Voice) -
Let us see what the Word says:-
John chapter 14/5 - Doubting Thomas saith unto him, Lord we know not whither thou goest and how can we know the way? verse 6. - Jesus saith unto him. I am the way, the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Verse 7 - If ye had known me ye should have know my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him and have SEEN HIM. Verse 8 - Philip saith unto him, Lord shew us the Father and it suffice us. Verse 9 - Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Verws 10 - Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Verse 11 - Believe me that I AM in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works sake..........
Who is Jesus Christ? John chapter 1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Verse 10 - He (God) was in the world and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Verse 11 - He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Verse 12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he POWER (through His Holy Spirit) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name. Verse 13 - Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God. Verse 14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelth among us, (and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. Verse 15 - JOHN BORE WITNESS OF HIM, AN CRIED, SAYING, THIS WAS HE OF WHOM I SPOKE, HE THAT COMETH AFTER ME IS PREFERRED BEFORE ME FOR HE WAS BEFORE ME. VERSE 16 - AND OF HIS FULNESS HAVE ALL WE RECEIVED, AND GRACE FOR GRACE. VERSE 17 - FOR THE LAW WAS GIVEN BY MOSES, BUT GRACE AND TRUTH CAME BY JESUS CHRIST.! Alleluia!!!!!!!!!!!!
When we are born-again and receive the infilling of God's Holy Spirit, we become one with the Father and the Son as stated in the book of John chapter 17/20- Neither pray I for these alone (meaning His disciples), but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. Verse 21 -That they all may be one; as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me. Verse 22 - And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one. Verse 23 - I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Alleluia!!!!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Isn't that amazing Terry, we are in God (bubble wrapped) and God is in us! I don't even try to understand it all sister, let's just trust him in faith! :) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Amen Marcia, great scriptures! I must admit that my mind originally went to 1 John 4:12, one of the verses on my memory cards... 4:12 No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. But Jesus also said very clearly that those who saw him saw the Father as well (from another one of my memory verses!) :) 14:7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him." Apparent contradictions! But not really, when we understand what John (the author of both) was really trying to say in these two separate writings. Of course, there is no contradicting the scriptures telling us God is living in us and working through us. Praise God! And thank you for shedding more light on this, Marcia! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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endlessly fill us with awe and wonder, joy and amazement
Amen! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Sister Marcia....When JESUS made that statement in the book of John.....They saw JESUS - God the Son (who came in His Fathers Name)....No man has ever dealt with GOD the FATHER.....(again...the Voice they heard was the Son's Voice...THE WORD)....When we all deal with God the FATHER we shall all have glorified bodies....FLESH and BLOOD will not enter into THE FATHERS KINGDOM.....(smile)......
YES....The scripture you quoted was right in John Chapter 1.....That is the GODHEAD....God the Father...and God the Son (the WORD).....and THEY ARE ONE in the GODHEAD......When Jesus came into this world....God the Father didn't come with Him....(The Bible says THEY ARE ONE.....RIGHT)....
God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosover believeth upon Him shall not parish but shall have everlasting life......There is no salvation in God the Father.....Salvation is in Jesus Christ.....So again the Word of God is clear on the matter......My point is this......Marcia....They are indeed one mind...and one Spirit....but in dealing with MAN.....We have never dealt with God the Father.....and it's a good thing we haven't....We would all be DEAD MEN....You have quoted some good scriptures....but it doesn't prove your case ;o)
There is NEVER a contradiction in the Word of God.....There are several scriptures throughout the bible to confirm His Word |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Brother Mike....Maybe you need to go back to the Old Testament....All three heavens are mentioned in the very first chapter of the book of Genesis (smile)...and other books of the OLD TESTAMENT....And when Paul mentioned the third heaven in the book of Corinthians, He DID NOT say that He didn't know anything about it....Paul was very much informed (smile)...Don't take MY Word for it....Let THE BIBLE speak for itself ;o) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Mike - I got so wonderfully encouraged when I began to dig in to the meat of the Word. I have read the book of John many times. (it is my favorite book in the whole bible). However, when typing out the above verses, it could hardly control myself. God is awesome!!!! When I think of the man called Jesus Christ (english), meaning Saving Word, Emanuel (english) meaning God with us, who walked among this earth, who died for us, who came down from heaven just to restore us. Oh Mike, I am awed. I could only wish I was there and could have touched Him. Could you imagine the POWER that exuded from Him? Yet, Peter who got the revelation of who He is, betrayed Him, not once, but three times.
Yet, sadly, many, many, many are still betraying Him, by denying Him, even though they have seen the manifestation of Him in their own lives and in the lives of others, especially when that life is transformed. |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Marcia, I pray you STAY wonderfully encouraged....there are few greater truths than that God is dwelling within us!! No arguments or scripture debates can ever ever change that wonderful truth!! (Smile sister!) Pastor Tim....LOL!! (who art in heaven!) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Marjay.... most people think of heaven as....heaven, all by itself. However, as you said, scripture refers to more than one "heaven". After doing a little research, I now see three heavens, "the sky, outer space, and then a spiritual heaven." As you said, I'm sure Paul recognized this idea. To my dear sisters, your comments are always welcome!! Your thoughts on our precious Savior valued greatly! I've just taken a small step to insure no one misunderstands the intent of our dialogue, which is to exalt the Lord and encourage our brethren. =) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Hi Mike, I think the seemingly contradictory statements
4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. and
14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. are clarified by making a distinction in how we know Christ. It is not possible to know Christ and understand according the natural man, in our carnal nature. It is only when we are recreated in the Spirt that we can know Christ in the spirit. When 1 John says no man has seen God, he's absolutely right. It is only by the recreated spirit of man that we can know Him.
Jonathan |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Mike and Laura,
Great compilation. Yes isn't it a miracle that we have a God who actually desires to be with us. The Incarnation speaks of a clock not content to be a watchmaker or spectator, but a God who really does walk with us, talk with us,, and yes even die with us. What an honor for the thieves on Calvary to actually share with Christ in his death. Again you hit the jackpot for profound and depthful insights. I enjoy all you do.
Pastor Chuck |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Pastor Chuck, your input is deeply valued...thank you!! In a very short time I've come to really like and respect you! Jonathan, there might in fact be more than one way to reconcile those two scriptures....seems like you've offered a valid one. I really like how you put it, "It is not possible to know Christ and understand according the natural man, in our carnal nature. It is only when we are recreated in the Spirt that we can know Christ in the spirit." Sounds like the truth to me..thanks! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| If that doesn't blow your mind, I don't know what will! WOW He CHOOSES to dwell within me!!!!!!!! WOWWWWW!!!!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Angela, that's what I'm lookin for! I know EXACTLY how you feel!! :) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| What really blows my mind is God is so Holy that in the old Testament, only the priest could enter the holy of holies. If he entered with unrepented sin on his part or his peoples God would strike him dead! The priest entered with a rope tied around his waste (and probally a little trembling) so they could pull him out, they didn't dare go in and get him! Also not to mention God struck Uzzah dead for touching the ark of God against His command...WOW just think about that it really should challenge us to take Gods commands seriously and fill us with Joy that a holy God would choose to take up his residence in His people!!!! WOW...JUST WOW!!!!! |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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| Yes Angela! That is indeed a spectacular observation, and I share your excitement about that! That is partially why I take holiness seriously! (ppl misunderstand what I write sometimes, assuming I'm some hyper-licentious/carnal Christian, but the fact is I have to guard carefully against legalism, my tendency is the opposite of licence) |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Mike,
The Garden of Eden - a visual depiction of the life God wants with each one of us. Very personal. How much more can he love us than to wrap Himself around us and to Live within us? We talk so often of needing a personal relationship with Him. We forget that He craves a personal relationship with us.
Gene |
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| March 17, 2009 |
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Recently spent time meditating on the Lord's prayer.
Our Father...
Whose Father? Ours. As children of GOD we are brothers and sisters. Ever know children to fuss, get upset, say or do hurtful things to each other? Or to be jealous, envious, or insecure or overbearing?
See, Mike, the problem with this family of GOD is that it is made up of people who are different or difficult. I don't always feel loved. I don't always love (or at least express).
What would happen if instead of seeing every argument as "sibling rivalry" instead of reason to divide and split? What would happen if instead of seeing our differences as a threat we embraced them?
I won't always agree with my brothers and sisters about everything. That doesn't mean they are wrong and I am right. It just means we see things differently. Just like in an earthly family are children with different personalities, abilities, dreams, so too, the family of GOD.
The original disciples of Jesus didn't always agree, had differences, tried to manipulate. They constantly messed up. And they constantly misunderstood what Jesus was trying to convey to them. You're family and you have a heavenly Father!
Where exactly does GOD live?
Isaiah 57:15 (KJV) For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
GOD lives in the hearts of those who need revival in their hearts and spirits and are humble enough to realize it and contrite enought to ask for it.
Oh, and the "which art in heaven".....
Mike, ever put your kids "art" on your refrigerator? Oh, technically, artistically, these works could not stand under the critique of the professional. They would be judged as unworthy and failure. But not to a loving father.
We have a heavenly Father. Did you know there is a great big refrigerator in heaven with our "art" on it? Each, according to the grace given and received, bring our artwork to Him. Instead of harsh judgement at our lack of perfection He is proud of what we have learned to this point. Instead of comparing our art to each other we should look for ways to help each other develop the gifts and talents we have. We are family not competitors.
One other thought......
Where does GOD not live? The psalmist in Psalm 139 couldn't find a place where GOD was not.
.....peace.....
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| March 18, 2009 |
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Gene....so well said, brother! |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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(apureheart)...... Oh Lord, revive my heart! (in the last 24-48 hrs I feel he has been doing just that) |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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Some good comments here....(smile)....The 3 heavens the bible teaches about are..The third heaven and that is where GOD the Father and God the Son...(JESUS) are right now...and the second heaven is where the moon...stars...and sun are...and the first heaven is right here on earth.....NOW that is what the bible teaches in more places than one....and YES my precious friends for those that have a relationship with Him...God does indeed live in each of our hearts, and we should be displaying the fruits of Him living in there....Let's not miss the truth of what is....All is takes is a little time in the Word of God....Line upon line...precept upon precept...Here a little....there a little ;o) |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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That just gives a greater revelation to "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world." |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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| Mike I hear ya, I also tend to lean toward the leagalism side...God's working on balance with me! |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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Mike....
He is seeking... oh my, He is seeking! Reading those words you wrote have me leaning in to Him. Knowing Him, and the depth of His love and mercy. That is why we are His. To be His seekers... to gather more of His children to Him.
God bless you, my friend.
Joey |
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| March 18, 2009 |
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| He lives in you, and in me. He lives in the heart of everyone who loves Him. |
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| March 19, 2009 |
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Good morning guys! Joey, it feels wonderful to be thought of as important enough to be sought after, doesn't it???? Thank Sheree, yes it absolutely does! |
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| March 19, 2009 |
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"we are in God (bubble wrapped) and God is in us! I don't even try to understand it all ... let's just trust him in faith!" Perhaps one of the greatest joys (or curses, depending on your outlook!) of being a philosopher is taking the time to attempt to understand what our God has communicated to us via Scripture. There is a temptation for modern minds to see these passages about "God with us" and "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" and "God fills all in all" and to imagine that God is somehow diffused throughout the universe like an aether gas. This was one of the conclusions the early Church fathers sought to blunt. For example, Irenaeus (about 180 A.D.) wrote, "They are ignorant ... [because] they do not know what God is. Rather, they imagine that He sits after the fashion of a man. They think he is contained within bounds, but does not contain." About 15 years later, Clement of Alexander would exclaim, "God is not in darkness or in place, but He is above both space and time, and qualities of objects. ... [One] does not suppose that He is confined in certain limited places." It is a mistake for some people to imagine that God is somehow embodied inside us -- as if we could say that God is approximately two inches from my right lung! The definition of God's omnipresence is that God is causally and immediately present at every point: 
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| March 19, 2009 |
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| Awesome blog my friend. :) I feel in my heart and always will that a piece of God is with us when He created us in His image. |
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| March 19, 2009 |
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Thanks Megan! I always appreciate your encouragement!
Shandon, well said! You're good at making complex issues easier to understand. Which is probably why you are a professor! (Right?) |
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| March 19, 2009 |
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EVERYWHERE IN EVERYTHING IN EVERYONE and at the same time in heaven |
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| March 21, 2009 |
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It is amazing! I am with the Psalmist, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that Thou wouldst visit him?
Got to take issue with Alexander's statement: That is Pantheism....God is not in every thing or in everyone. Nice thought though, but He only dwells int he hearts of His people. He is everywhere for sure, but He is not in everything thing and every one. |
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| March 21, 2009 |
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Alexander, glad you chimed in, would be nice to see you hang out with us. Todd, that scripture always moves me. Thanks bro, your input always valued! |
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| March 21, 2009 |
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Great blog, Daddy!! Love it, very inspirational. :)
Lots of love,
Sherlock |
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| March 21, 2009 |
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I totally agree with brother Todd. God is not in everything and everyone. As also stated in His Word. Spiritual things are Spiritually discerned. If God were in the hearts of everyone, then please tell me why people commit heinous crimes? does God tell them to do that? NO His Word tells us to love one another. Is God in everything? Is God in the pollution of His world? When God created this world, He gave the first two people commands and they disregarded His Commands and I read where their first son Cain was the first murderer, and from then on to now things got increasingly worse. The Word of God tells us that we were all born in sin and shaped in iniquity. That is why God had to come down here and offer himself in the form of a human being, so that He can fix mankind by filling them with His Spirit. IT TAKES HOLY BLOOD TO PURIFTY A HUMAN BEING. Everyone does not have God's Spirit. You must be born-again to receive God's Spirit. How do you know you are born-again? You begin to bless those who curse you instead of looking for revenge, because it will be the Holy Spirit of God living inside you who will cause you to do what God commands you. You will begin to understand Spiritual things. You will know that you have super-natural power to do Super-natural things. Many are believing that God is in everyone and everything and that is not true.
Well... these are just a few of my thoughts. For scripture reference see the New Testament.
Shalom to all my friends
Sister Marcia |
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| March 21, 2009 |
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| Marcia, thanks so much for further building on Todd's comment. I think the vast majority here agree! (including me) |
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| March 27, 2009 |
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Mike, good question -- and it has brought a lot of good responses. Because God is infinite, we must think in infinite terms. So, wherever God lives it must be larger than He is in order for Him to be "in" it. Fortunately, modern math comes to the rescue by telling us that infinity comes in different sizes. How so? Imagine an infinite number of points along a line that is one inch long. Now imagine an infinite number of points along a line that is two inches long. Is the second imaginary number larger than the first? No. But does it take up more space? Yes. Hmm... And that's not even the main problem. I'm surprized that no one has mentioned the Trinitarian character of God. This is the defining element of Christianity because no other religion has ever thunk it! So, your question gets a little tougher when we ask where does God -- Father, Son and Holy Ghost -- live? Do they share a room? Or do they have separate rooms? And exactly how can what is infinite live "inside" of me, who is finite? The way that we think about such questions makes it sound like we Christians are either stupid or hopelessly blinded to common sense by their beliefs. If you are asking a serious question, then we need to think outside the proverbial box because our usual ways of thinking aren't helping. It's hard to see our own assumptions. Nonetheless, it is important because they shape our thinking. In this case, we are assuming that "I" is an "individual" being. But no individual can exist by himself, not now, not ever. It takes at least two complimentary people to carry on the species. I believe that we are made in the image of God, and that the primary character of God is Trinitarian. Therefore, people are like God in a trinitarian-like way. Our "individuality" is trinitarian. No, we are not little gods. But yes, we are like God in a very fundamental way. This idea is developed in my recent book, Arsy Varsy -- Reclaiming the Gospel in First Corinthians. Big questions deserve big answers. Phil |
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| March 30, 2009 |
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"Because God is infinite, we must think in infinite terms. So, wherever God lives it must be larger than He is in order for Him to be "in" it. Fortunately, modern math comes to the rescue by telling us that infinity comes in different sizes. How so? Imagine an infinite number of points along a line that is one inch long. Now imagine an infinite number of points along a line that is two inches long. Is the second imaginary number larger than the first? No. But does it take up more space? Yes. Hmm..." I don't think I need to rehash my previous comments about the historical, theological, and philosophical ways to understand God's omnipresence, but I do want to offer a brief critique of this comment lest it lead one to retreat to an anthropomorphic understanding of God's ontology. Thus comments about the abode of God needing to be larger than God Himself make no more sense than suggesting that the size of my couch must be larger than its color - given that the color is "in" the couch. Moreover, just a thought about the comparison of infinity here: That competing results obtain when calculating in transfinite mathematics is precisely why there is no such thing as an actually infinite number of things. Rather, the infinite divisions that can obtain within any segment of a line must be potentially infinite only. And on the relevance of the Trinity, such a potential connection to God's omnipresence escapes me. Here I only ask for some clarification so that I, too, may be aware of my "own assumptions ... because they shape [my] thinking." God bless! |
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| March 31, 2009 |
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"So, wherever God lives it must be larger than He is in order for Him to be "in" it." Phil - thank you for sharing your thoughts! Regarding the statement I quoted, this immediately struck me as curious. For what could be "larger" than an omnipresent God? But Shandon (Guthrie) to the rescue. To compare God to anything in reference to size doesn't really make sense (at least not to this limited mind). I do appreciate your comment, especially the illustration about the points along a line...fascinating. Shandon, thank you for your response. Since it wasn't directed at me I'll gracefully step back...after defining a couple of terms: anthropomorphic = ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human ontology = the metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence |
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