Where is God?

"He must become greater; I must become less."
-John 3:30
      I am a pretty active Facebook user, and sometimes the things I see on it bother me. One thing that I see that seems to be a recurring theme is the question of God's existence. There are so many posts that give reasons that either God exists or He doesn't. Whenever someone posts something about God and that He exists, it's a guarantee that someone will actively attack that post. Whether a person is commenting on a post like this or someone is saying that God doesn't exist, the common thing I see is the question of God's existence. "If God exists, where is He?"
      The first answer I want to give is the one I hear over and over again from people who think God is a myth, fake, lie, or whatever. They have the idea that God lives in the sky. Actually the phrase they use is "a big man in the sky" or something similar. If that doesn't bother you at all, well then you have the wrong idea of who God is. This idea implies that God is far away, and only lives in heaven. This idea reminds people of the view of an angry God who just imposes rules on people to follow. Most importantly, this idea suggests that people cannot see or experience God because He lives "in the sky".
      The next answer I want to give comes from the bible. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". In John 3:30 John says "He must become greater, I must become less." Another great answer to this question is in the hymn "He Lives". The last line of the refrain is "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart". The obvious thing that connects all of these answers is the God exists in our lives. Paul says that Christ lives in me. John says that God must become greater in his life, and John must become less in his life. The hymn proclaims that God lives in our hearts.
      So if God lives in our lives, why do people think He lives in the sky? Unfortunately, the reason people think that is because God doesn't truly reign in us. Many people, including me, are guilty of thinking that God lives in them, but they still haven't given their entire life to God. How can I make such a big accusation? If you look at Paul or John, one thing that separates their lives from ours is that when other people interacted with them, they saw God. Why? Both Paul and John knew that in order for people to see Christ they had to rid themselves of any desire to glorify themselves. Paul says that He has been crucified with Christ. John says that he must become less.
      God does not live in the sky, and we should not allow ourselves or other people to believe that. God is omnipresent. He lives everywhere, but the only way people will ever experience Him is if we exemplify Him in our lives. That means that when people see us, they don't really see us; they see Christ. "I want to live like that, and give it all I have, so that everything I say and do, points to You".
-Smart