Residence!

Residence!

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV

The Inspiration:

The question of identity is central to all that I do or say or think. If I know who I am, whose I am, and what I have been created, gifted, planted and placed to be and do, I will not have any struggle with my life's pursuits and priorities. A lot of the confusion and contentions in our lives today flow from not being sure of who this God is, who calls us to Himself. He is a Holy and Righteous God, one who cannot behold sin. Yet, in all His Holiness he dares to reach out to all of us, and anyone who will come to Him for forgiveness of sin and cleansing from guilt. The sacrifice for sin always involved death, and there was a very constant need to shed blood in order to atone for sin. This was the only way God would not strike man dead. Unfortunately, the blood of bulls and goats could not do the job, so Jesus offered his own blood as the perfect, unique and worthy sacrifice for sin. He didn't do it as a popularity contest, but as a seed for future generations who will come to believe in Him. 

The Contention:

He did all of these so I could gain access to the power, grace and mercy that is freely available in Christ. He does not force anyone to come to Him, and he also does not compel anyone to remain in Him, but if I can only dare come to Him, of my own freewill, and take him up on his offer of salvation and eternal life, and then holding on to the end, no matter what comes my way, then I take hold of the life of God, live daily in the consciousness of what He has done, access all the blessings His life has secured for me, and then also look forward to the life that comes after this present earthly phase is over. It is a lot to process all at once, but the start point is the total surrender to Jesus and accepting Him as Lord and Saviour. Have I taken God up on His offer of salvation and redemption? Is He Lord and Master over my life? Does He dictate terms and conditions, or am I still laying claim to areas of my life that I want to keep from his control and influence?

The Conclusion:

He is either Lord of all or none at all. With surrender comes the infilling of the Holy Spirit who is Himself the seal of ownership showing that I belong to God, He is my Lord, and I answer to Him. His presence is proof that God is alive in me, and his presence cannot be ignored. He cannot fail to be noticed, because His presence will change my former pursuits and priorities. Of course, wherever God dwells becomes His home, where he must be revered and worshipped. I cannot have God live in me, and still be comfortable in sin. His Spirit will not push me into sin, so if i find myself still struggling with sin, I need to go back and ask God for his grace, freely given, to live above the dictates of the sinful life. Ownership defines priorities. Residential status also defines benefits. If I am a citizen of heaven, I will always seek after the things that heaven celebrates. Who am I? Where do I belong? Does God know me as His own? God's time of favour is here.