God Dwells with You

Read Exodus 24-26
 
Exodus 25:8 Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
 
PROMISES – the Bible is full of God’s promises. Other names for promises are covenants and testaments. Here God promised a very special covenant to his people in the desert: “I will dwell among them.”
    This promise, of course, is the essential testament of God that forms the entire Bible. To be saved in faith today means God has birthed us anew, and we will dwell with him forever. Jesus said it this way in John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  
    Consider how Israel’s lives changed from dwelling in Egypt’s slavery to live with God! Then we can wonder at our own lives transformed into an eternal fellowship with our heavenly Father. Do you grasp the promise? God came into his broken world to say, “I will take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  Yes, it’s true. The God, who has created the vast and impenetrable universe, promised long ago he would dwell among his people!
    And, yes, there is something we must do to be with God. In the Exodus journey, the Hebrews were to specifically prepare a tabernacle (dwelling place) for God to meet with them. The LORD God’s specific instructions reflect his holiness. When God commands, he empowers. So, he gifted certain people to complete his construction directions. Today, we are to prepare our hearts for his presence. Thankfully, God the Father has sent the Son and the Spirit to enable us to love and live as the Father requires.
    Know then God’s entire Bible is his love story to tell you, “I want to be where you are.” Understand the pan’s progression to very personally go from the Exodus desert to the cross and into your heart. The Father comes. The Son comes. The Spirit comes. And now it is time for you to come to the God who desires to dwell with you.
   
It’s True: “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” In God’s plan, you always know who you are.