“I AM” is where ? The verses from the Bible shows us the many different features or characteristics of God, viz., light, soul, love, truth, word (message), grace, wisdom, life and peace. Can any of these attributes be seen in any temple, any fish, animals, birds, rocks, stones, trees or remains of any dead human being .? Surely a big NO. So where do we find all these characteristics.? As per 'Exodus Ch. 3: 13 – 15', we now know that 'I AM' is present. He is the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob, The God of the living. Its time to move forward and see where can his presence be found. Well no need to guess to know his presence. The Bible itself tells us where he is present using the below mentioned verses.
Genesis Ch. 1 : 26 – 27 26 Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 1 Corinthians Ch. 3 : 16 – 17 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians Ch. 6 : 19 - 20 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body Ezekiel Ch. 37 : 27 27 My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 2 Corinthians Ch. 6 : 16 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said: “I will live with them and move among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Revelation Ch. 21 : 3 – 5 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.” 5 The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true. Psalms Ch. 139 : 8 – 10 8 If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, there you are. 9 If I take the wings of dawn and dwell beyond the sea, 10 Even there your hand guides me, your right hand holds me fast. John 2 : 19 – 21 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ( Yes YOU, you are the temple of God. God's soul – the breath of life dwells in you. God dwells in you. Be they male or female, rich or poor, fool or learned, following any religion, may be weak or strong. God dwells in all. Your body is the temple of God not any man made temples. We cannot see love, grace, wisdom, peace, truth et al living in temples or any other place. But these characteristics of God can be found in human beings) John Ch. 4 : 21 – 23 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit (Romans 8:15; Ephesians 2:18; 6:18 and Philippians 3 : 3) and truth;(Psalms 145 : 18; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. (In Spirit and Truth: not a reference to an interior worship within ONE's own spirit. The Spirit is the spirit given by God that reveals Truth and enables ONE to worship God appropriately) Mathew Ch. 25 : 45 45 He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me’ (Here also God shows his presensce amongst the least and less fortunate.By showing mercy towards them we give glory to God in our deeds) Acts of the Apostles Ch. 9 : 4-5 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “Iam Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (While persecuting God’s people, it is shown in the above verse that indirectly God is persecuted. God who is present with his people) Galatians Ch. 2 : 20 20 yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. 1 John Ch. 4: 12 - 13 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ( We now know the characteristics of God and have found that they cannot be seen by the human eye. Hence logically the reason for not seeing him.) Jesus, who is he ? Colossians Ch 1: 15 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (The image here is not his physical appearance but his Divine unity or Oneness in the characteristics of God) John Ch. 14 : 9 – 11 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been w ith you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. John Ch. 14 : 18 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Isaiah 49:15 Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! ( Yes a mother can forget but not our ever loving God. A loving God who is always there waiting for us to come back to him and be with him. The Good Shepherd who guides his flock to greener pastures ) John 8 : 56 - 58 “ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, “ you are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham ?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ( and I Am who I Am or Yahweh or Jehovah is the title forever claimed by God in Exodus Ch. 3 : 13 – 15 discussed in the beginning of this article) Revelation Ch. 3 : 20 20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. ( his voice in above verse means his message of love, peace, mercy, grace, hope wisdom, truth, light, soul and life. By emulating these qualities we come more and more closer into the Oneness and togetherness of the One Supreme Divine. We become worthy of being called Children of God.) There are many other verses from the Bible which shows Gods love for his people and his presence and absence amongst them. Some of the verses are mentioned below : Mathew Chapter 1 : 23 Exodus 3 : 13 – 15 1 Samuel 16 : 7 Mathew 5 : 8 John 7 : 37 – 38 Psalm 115 : 3 Acts 17 : 24 1 Peter 2 : 9 – 10 Romans 12 : 1 – 2 John 14 : 20 and 23 Mathew 28 : 20 Welcome to watch the discourses in Konkani at the below links : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAt2QwZCrrc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG7nLStaQYY YOU ARE WELCOME TO SHARE THE WORD. 1 Corinthians 9:16 : If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! Amen
