That I may dwell among them

And the Lord said to Moses, speak to the Israelites, that they take for Me an offering. From every man who gives it willingly and ungrudgingly with his heart you shall take My offering. ..... Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

Exodus 25:1,2,8  AMP

For Moses and the Israelites, they had to undertake the task of physically building a sanctuary for the Lord.

Today, because of what Jesus did for us, the sanctuary looks quite different.

Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]? 

1 Corinthians 3:16 AMP

We, in Jesus, have become a dwelling place for God's Spirit.

You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves are also being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.  Ephesians 2:20-22 AMP

These phrases, 'joined together harmoniously', and 'in fellowship with one another', give us a picture of perfect loving fellowship within the sanctuary.  And in a perfect world, that may happen, but we are not in a perfect world.

The foundation of the structure, Jesus Christ, is perfect and unchanging. But we are not. Maybe that is why a bit further on it says, 'you yourselves are also being built up', which tells us that we are a work in progress. We, as the potter's clay, are continually being molded and remolded.

And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me: O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:4-6 AMP

We have the privilege, through the grace of God, to be a dwelling place of God's Spirit. We have the challenge of surrendering our life, every part of our life, to God, the potter, so we can be all that He wants us to be. So we can hear His Spirit clearly, and be obedient to His calling.

Question for today, is there an area of your life that God is wanting to rework? Are you aligning with or resisting the prompting of the Holy Spirit? If you are tending to be resisting more than aligning, why not ask forgiveness, and ask the Holy Spirit to show us what action to take today to move forward in God's direction for us in that area. Remember, God's grace is sufficient for us, He is patient, and He has chosen to dwell in us.