Thankful for God's Presence

God gives us salvation through his Son, Jesus. That’s the central theme of Christianity. 

With the gift of salvation, however, comes something equally valuable. The apostle John describes it this way: “God has given us his Spirit. This is how we know we are one with him, just as he is one with us” (1 John 4:13, CEV).

How do we know we belong to God? We have his Spirit inside us. We have access to his strength when we’re tempted. We have access to his guidance when we’re lost. We have access to his wisdom when we’re confused. We have a direct line to him when we need to talk. If we think it, he hears it; when we ask questions, he answers us. 

How often do we thank God for such an incredible gift? How often do we take advantage of the opportunities the Holy Spirit offers?

This article was taken from a project created by my writing team: 100 Ways the Bible Can Change Your Life. Time Home Entertainment, Inc. New York, New York: 2013. p. 39.  

The Names of God: The Holy One

"Woe to the sinful nation,
    a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
    children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
    they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
    and turned their backs on him." (Isaiah 1:4, NIV)

The people of Israel turned their backs on the Holy One because they wanted to pursue sin. But God, in his holiness, will have nothing to do with sin.

The fact that sin cannot exist in God’s holy presence should inspire us to seek forgiveness when we do something wrong. Our wrongdoing does not put our salvation in jeopardy—Jesus paid for our sins once and for all—but it does affect our closeness to God. If we have unconfessed sin in our lives, we cannot have an intimate relationship with him. We need to confess, ask forgiveness and start fresh.

Additional Verses on God's holiness:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;    the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3, NIV)

“There is no one holy like the Lord;    there is no one besides you;    there is no Rock like our God." (1 Samuel 2:2, NIV)

"For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16, NIV)

"For our “ 'God is a consuming fire.' ” (Hebrew 12:29, NIV)

"Who among the gods    is like you, Lord?Who is like you—    majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,    working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11, NIV)

The above article was adapted from the Encountering God Devotional Bible, which my team created for Zondervan.

The Names of God: I AM

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.” ’ ” (Exodus 3:14)

The Israelites were slaves in the land of Egypt, where many gods were worshiped. The Lord wanted his people to know that only one deity was worthy of their worship—only one could free them from captivity.

“I am” is the perfect name for God because it contrasts his existence with the nonexistence of other gods (who might be named “They are not”). It also calls attention to his eternal nature. When nothing else existed, God could say, “I am.” If everything else ceased to exist, God could still say, “I am.” 

Nothing changes his status.

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The above article was adapted from the Encountering God Devotional Bible, which my team created for Zondervan.