As I re-visited Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Gospel of Luke 15) something hit me. There we read of the battle between a younger son who had squandered everything his father gave him and an older son who faithfully had served his father during the absent of his brother. The prodigal son received love and compassion at returning to home while the older son got jealous over the father’s pouring out of grace toward his "bad" brother.

Listen to the words of the father to the older dissatisfied son: “You have always been with me, and everything I have is yours.” These words should have defused any jealousy. They convey the truth that as long as the son resides in his father’s presence he could have enjoyed “everything” that is belongs to his father. Instead of dissatisfaction the older son should be elated over his Father's Care and love for Him!

You and I, as believers in Jesus Christ, have the same privilege of always being with God, our Heavenly Father! Today everything that is the Father’s is ours. There is no cause for jealousy or discomfort. The fact is that “in the presences of God there is joy and eternal pleasure.”  (Psalm 16:33).

God wants to fill you, right now, with “greater joy than when the grain and new wine abound” (Psalm 4: 7). We can at this very minute and always “gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple” (Psalm 27:4)

In the Old Testament God’s Holy Spirit fell on individuals for power and wisdom. The Holy Spirit was “with” people. But since the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit indwells the child of God through the new birth. The Holy Spirit (the presence of God) is not just “with” us, but also “in” us. When this happens we will understand that:                                                                                                                                                                    God is in us                                                                                                                                                We will love him                                                                                                                                         God will show Himself to us.                                                                                                                      God will make His home with us .(John 14: 7-23)  

Isn’t that the reason why we sing ”..and He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.”

Some people try to convince us that “the best is yet to come” in reference to the future life in Heaven. But today I will challenge you with the words: “The best is not yet to come..the best is here right now!” Today, right now, if you are a child of God, you have the privilege to live in God’s Presence.

“We are the Temple of the Living God. “I will live with them and walk among them and I will be their God and they will be my people” 2 Corinthians 6: 16