In what ways can we invite God's presence into our daily lives? The Promise of God’s Nearness Ezekiel 37:27: “My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.” God states plainly that He intends to live among His people. The verse is not poetic wish-fulfillment; it is His literal pledge. Everything that follows springs from this promise. Welcoming His Dwelling Through Faith in Christ • Receive Christ as Lord (John 1:12). • Love and obey Him daily: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). • Stand in the confidence that through the cross we “have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:18). Cultivating Obedience and Holiness • Turn from sin immediately—unconfessed sin grieves His Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). • Embrace a lifestyle of holiness: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). • Allow God’s Word to shape conduct (Psalm 119:11). • Remember His covenant call: “Come out from among them and be separate… I will be a Father to you” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). Hosting His Presence in Worship • Personal praise invites His throne into ordinary moments—“Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). • Corporate worship unites hearts; He “inhabits” that united praise (Matthew 18:20). • Keep a song in the mind and mouth (Ephesians 5:19). Keeping Covenant Through Love and Service • Love fellow believers; when we love, “God abides in us” (1 John 4:12). • Serve practical needs—Jesus identifies Himself with the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40). • Guard speech and attitudes so they build up the body (Ephesians 4:29). Practicing Constant Communion • Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). • Meditate on Scripture day and night (Psalm 1:2). • Acknowledge Him in every decision (Proverbs 3:5-6). • Keep Him continually before you: “I have set the LORD always before me” (Psalm 16:8). Guarding Unity in the Body • Refuse bitterness; quickly forgive (Colossians 3:13). • Work together in peace so that “In Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). • Celebrate diversity within the church as God’s design (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Living Expectantly • Look ahead to the day His promise is fully seen: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3). • Let that future certainty shape present hope and holy living (2 Peter 3:11-13). • Anticipate daily encounters with Him now, knowing His pledge in Ezekiel is already unfolding in the life of every believer. |
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