The goal of most religions of the world throughout history has been to connect with God. People pray for hours, study to attain knowledge, do good works, offer animal sacrifices, anything that they feel gives them the hope of connecting with God and offers the promise of a transcendent supernatural experience.

In Christianity there’s a major difference. We don’t attain God, God comes to us! God first shows us how we have repeatedly sinned against him and we are desperately in need of his forgiveness. Then, when we put our trust in Jesus as the one who paid the penalty for our sins through his death on the cross, at that very moment the Holy Spirit enters into our bodies. God himself comes inside of us.

You’ve undoubtedly seen banners across the front of hotels and restaurants that say “Under New Management.” The point of such signs is to signal that a new day has come and a new owner has taken over. The implication is that somebody smarter, better and more creative is going to make this into a better place.

When we become Christians, it is as if we have a banner across our bodies proclaiming, “Under New Management.” The Spirit of God moves in to manage our lives. He is God-in-us and he helps, protects, gives us wisdom, and makes us into what God wants us to be. Here’s how the Bible describes it:

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God.