By Larry Stover
Stover lives in Valley Grande and is pastor at Praise Park Ministries Church of the Nazarene.

Last week, I shared a column on the Omniscience of God. It is the belief that God knows everything.  Living in the computer age makes it easier to grasp this idea with “super” computers everywhere.

There is another attribute of God that is a little tougher to grasp. It is the idea that he is Omnipresent, or that, God is everywhere.

Psalm 139:7-12 gives us some excellent resource material into this matter. First of all, we can’t get away from God. There is no place to hide. You can go to the highest heavens and he is there.  A journey to the core of the earth will not evade him either. Any distance, east, west, north, or south will not move you past his holy presence.

The reason for this is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In millions of churches around the globe, the presence of God settles in on worshippers who want his presence and blessing. That is amazing and exciting. Every time people get together, God is there. Jesus made it clear, “For where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them.”  (Matthew 18:20)

And, he is always with us every day as individuals who desire his presence.

What does this mean for us in 2016? God wants to do more in your life than just forgive you of your sins. He wants a personal intimate relationship with you every day you live.

Far too many people today practice a Christianity that is reduced to a list of “do’s and don’ts.” We act toward God like we do our boss at work. What can I do today to make my CEO happy? At the end of the day, we add up all our “good and bad” for the day and “hope for the best.”

Don’t allow others to drag you down into this kind idea of rewards and punishments religion.   God has so much more to give to us. He wants our relationship to be genuine, personal, passionate and affectionate. He wants us to love him as much as he loves us. The Lord wants a relationship that is alive.

When you think about it, life is all about relationships. Our children are looking for that BFF.    Teens are looking for “the one.”  We marry for relationship. As a grandparent, my grandkids bring out the “glow” in me.

God wants that kind of intimacy also. He knows what you need.

He can satisfy it as your ultimate companion.  What would happen if every believer in Dallas County would decide to have a more intense relationship with Jesus Christ?

An Omnipresent God can make that happen for all of us, anywhere, at the same time. He knows what is going on in your life, the good and the bad. He’s not like “Big Brother” hovering over you to accuse you of anything he can. God wants to make your life better by making your relationship with him the best it can be and then enjoy the blessings of an Omnipresent God.

This is a wonderful thought for all of God’s children today.

He promises to be with you wherever you are. More than that, his goal is to make your life “Simply Beautiful.”