1 Corinthians 3:16

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

Where do you go to be in the presence of God? And when you go there, do you act differently than other times? Let me suggest a radical idea that is not new with me. It comes straight from the Bible. If we have faith in Jesus Christ we are always in the presence of God. There is no more sacred place than inside of you.

When Jesus died on the cross the Bible tells us that the curtain separating the "Holy of Holies" from the rest of the world was ripped from top to bottom. The Holy of Holies was the place in the temple where God's presence rested. It was the place where the Ark of the Covenant (made famous by Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) was kept. It was a special place where the priest would only enter once a year to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people. It was a place that was unaccessible to the public because the Holy One had not come yet.

Jesus was that Holy One. When He died the Spirit of God was released by an act of God. Shortly thereafter the Spirit came to rest on those who believed in Jesus. The sacred place was moved from a fixed location to the hearts of believers, called "Followers of the Way." We now inherit this reality of the presence of God in our lives. Our bodies are "Temples" as the Apostle Paul says. We are the holy place.

So, back to my initial questions: Where do you go to be in the presence of God? Everywhere; And when you go there, do you act differently than other times? No. Ah, but we do act differently if we perceive a place to be more "Holy." May I suggest that we begin to see all places as Holy when we set foot in them. Your work becomes a house of God when you are there. Your home is a sanctuary to the Most High when you are there. The store, bar, restaurant, movie theater, etc. all become a place of worship if you are there because God is with you. Carry His presence with respect and awe; He may be using you to transform the lives around you. He may be using you to build more temples through the people you meet and lives you influence.