I do not understand God within me, yet I know it to be so, because the scriptures declare:
"By this we know that we abide in him and He in us, because he has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1Jn 4:13-16)


And elsewhere it is declared that the Holy Spirit, which is the very Spirit of God, is set within us:
"In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." (Eph 1:13-14)


Therefore, I take time to meditate upon this reality unto knowing the Truth, and dispelling any lie within concerning it. Who can fathom 'God within?" The whole of life would be much simpler if we would but know, and rest in the knowing, that God is nearer still that the very breath within our lungs, His Spirit is resident within. Now I pray for myself and for you...
"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." (Eph 1:17-23)


The ancient jewish sages have teaching and perspectives that I'm finding helpful in my study today. In a dialogue concerning mitzvah, the sages speak of performing a mitzvah as a connection to God. And it is said, "The perfection of any entity may be gauged against the purpose for which it was originally created. What is the purpose of creation in general and of man in particular? - 'The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have an abode in the lower worlds." (Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Naso, sec. 16.) Should the height of perfection in this life be to exist as the abode of God, then we see it in Yeshua, the man who was God. The perfect man, who knew no sin, because He is God in the flesh. Yeshua taught us 'be perfect therefore" (Mat 5:48). In much we think that perfection is about rule on rule, doing something and not doing other things. But perfection in a man is this, to be the abode of God, wholly, completely.


There is infinite value to the active inactivity of contemplative prayer to this end (that God may dwell within). Should we set our whole selves to do nothing but BE (in Him, and He is us), then like a Temple (I Cor 6:19) we might in stillness become the abode of God.


It is our aim and pursuit even now, yet we should hope in this, that in the ages to come, God himself will fix our nature in perfection. Where in this life we waver in good works and evil, in good thoughts and evil. In the next life, our character will be set in enduring faithfulness. The sages taught us saying, "in the time to come, God Himself will take hold of the Evil Inclination [and hence the Angel of Death] and slaughter it." In this period man will be granted a gift from above – perfection not only commensurate with his abilities but beyond them. There will be no more observance of mitzvot. The righteous will sit with crowns on their heads and delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence." (Talmud/ Berachos 17a) We have a great hope for the ages to come:

"So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." (I Cor 15:42-49)

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him" (I Jn 3:2)

Tonight as I prepare teaching notes for my Haggai class, I've found myself considering our provision of daily bread. Many Christians know and pray as Jesus taught us, "give us this day our daily bread," (Mat 6:11) If God desire us to pray for it, it's because He longs to answer that prayer. In the natural, we really must pray for our daily provision of food. I certainly am learning too. But it simultaneously speaks of our spiritual nourishment as well. And often we will reach for the food that satisfies our flesh, while neglecting to reach for the food that satisfies our souls.

This week is GBF (Global Bridegroom Fast). And as I sit here drinking my water, while feeling hunger pains, I realize that the Lord never called us to fast from Him. Our spiritual bread really is intended to be a daily provision. Every day, there is bread from heaven for our souls. Every day there is nourishment that strengthens the inner man... unto having the fulness of God dwelling within! (Eph 3:16-19)

But how did I get there while preparing my Haggai class? Well I was reviewing Mosaic Law on the grain offerings in Leviticus (Lev 6:14-18), because Haggai the prophet asks a question about the transference of holiness from the grain offering. And considering Leviticus 6 I realized that the grain offering was the daily bread of the priests. This daily bread was born at the altar, out of sacrifice. There is no daily bread without sacrifice. And that is my meditation: There is no daily bread without sacrifice.