A Place to Dwell

Reading of the Day: Exodus 23-25

Exodus 25:8: And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

Now we are really getting into the "nitty-gritty" of establishing the Israelites as the people of God. They were not just another nation...they were GOD'S nation! Although there are many specific details & rules put in place, and it may be hard to find the importance of every single one, that's actually the beauty of it all! Some things in the Bible jump out as obvious...a more obvious story with a more obvious message (although hours of study could still be done on these!). But then there are chapters like these in Exodus...talking about candlesticks, staves & rams' skins dyed red...and it really keeps the wonder & awe of God alive! It really gives us something to dwell on! And this is right where God wants us! In the above Scripture, one of the things the Israelites were to do was to prepare a sanctuary that God may dwell among them. To us, that place looks like a church, and in depth, it looks like our hearts. Our hearts & minds are constantly supposed to be dwelling on the things of God, just like the hours of study that could be poured into the building of this tabernacle & sanctuary of The Lord! But that dwelling could also just be pure love & appreciation of the things of God, even if we don't fully understand the meaning of each part of the tabernacle in its entirety. It's all about giving God a place to dwell...making room in our lives for church, study & just loving on The Lord more & more! The more we think on the things of Him, the closer He is! Not just in our church buildings, but in our homes & in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Let's open our minds to dwell on the things of Him, giving Him a special place to dwell with us every day of our lives! Next time we open up the book of Exodus, let's challenge ourselves to dwell a little longer & think a little deeper about each carefully-crafted detail!