Devotional Bible Study: God Dwells In Us | Revelation 21:3.
Updated: Aug 2, 2021
Welcome to Day 31. for our last short powerful devotion from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on Revelation 21:3.
Read Revelation 21:3.
This is the perfect verse to end our 31 days of devotional Bible study about practicing the presence of God. When we have surrendered our lives to God and trust that His Son, Jesus Christ is our savior through His spilled blood on the cross, then that opens the door of our hearts for God to come and dwell in us.
God dwells in our hearts!
The Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation while he was detained on the Island of Patmos. At the time when John wrote, there were churches in all the main cities of the region called Asia. However, the government of Rome was cruel and persecuted the Christians.
Revelation Chapter 21 talks about a new heaven, new earth, and a new Jerusalem. It is about our future. John insists that Revelation Chapter 21 is not his words but are the very words from Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He would wipe away all our tears and there would no longer be mourning. In Revelation 21:6, Jesus proclaims that He is the Alpha and the Omega (we studied this name of God HERE). He is the Beginning and the End. Everyone who believes in Jesus is blessed but those who reject Him will burn in the lake of sulfur (Revelation 21:7-8)
God's dwelling place
In the Old Jerusalem God dwelt in the Temple, in a place called the Holy of Holies, in the Ark of the Covenant. The High Priest could only enter it once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Before the High Priest could enter, he had to be prepared in a specific way or he would perish when he came face to face with God's glory.
He would wash, put on special clothing, and gather incense and the blood from a sacrificed animal. Then in the Holy of Holies, he would burn the incense and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat of the ark. This ceremony was to receive forgiveness of the Israelites sins.
In Revelation 21:3 John states that he heard a mighty voice from the throne saying, " the dwelling place of God is with man." In eternity, God will always be with us. This means that God's people will always enjoy close fellowship with God, just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden.
But the exciting news is that right now we have access to the dwelling place of God if we have a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus Christ is our High Priest.
Join me below for a short devotional about how God is personal, and to dwell in the presence of God means we need a personal relationship with Jesus. Also join me one more time at the end of this post for prayer.
Short Devotional: God dwells in us.
We are so blessed! We are living in the time that if we choose to have a relationship with Jesus and desire to dwell in the presence of God - we can! We have direct access to God, our Father. We don't need a High Priest to go to the Temple to sacrifice an animal to cover our sins because Jesus is our High Priest. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin, securing direct access to the dwelling place of God for all eternity.
All we have to do is choose Christ and repent of our sins and also to actively be practicing the presence of God.
The dwelling place of God
In the Old Testament the dwelling place of God was in the Temple, in the Holy of Holies. No one could come into the Holy of Holies and live because of the Glory of God that was there. Only the High Priest that had prepared his body under certain instruction and had the perfect spotless lamb to sacrifice could go into it. This temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. So there were no more sacrifices.
Since there is no Temple today, then where is the dwelling place of God?
Some people refer to a church building as 'God's house' and to be fair, it is usually a peaceful place to be in and you can often sense God's presence there. But that is because you and I go to church to worship as a congregation of believers. We are the dwelling place of God!
Dwell in Christ
The word 'tabernacled' means 'dwelt' which means to 'pitch His tent'. When Jesus came into the world as a human being, He was God’s way of dwelling with his people in a more personal, direct, and accessible way than before. Jesus our savior replaced the need for the Temple.
We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that our bodies are the temple of God, "Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,". Amplified Translation.
God dwells in us!
God dwells in our hearts!
The people in the Old Testament that belived in God did not experience this level of relationship with God. We truly are blessed that a right relationship with God means that God dwells in us. That also brings great responsibility to remember that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is God's dwelling place and we need to take care of it. Be careful of your words and actions.
We had a devotional on Day 9 of our series on the Presence Of God from Psalm 84:10 about how spending one day in God's courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Remember how blessed you are that you can choose to be God's dwelling place. You and I are invited to spend eternity with God. Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, asking you to allow Him to come in so that God can dwell in you.
Have you opened that door of your heart to Him?
Are you in a right relationship with God?
What is God saying to you through Revelatin 21:3?
Download our free guided prayer journal or use a notebook to answer the above questions and the following ones.
Today's devotional is based on Revelation 21:3 which is from our Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures Plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 31 scriptures about God's presence in the Resource Library. It has a bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook and answer the following questions.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart.
Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our bible verses today, Revelation 21:3.
Scripture Prayer
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. This is a great way to practice the presence of God. Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying Revelation 21:3.
Father, thank you for loving me so much that you desire to make Your dwelling place in me. You have promised to never leave me or forsake me. Show me immediately if I ever grieve the Holy Spirit. Forgive me for the times that I have said or done something that made me unclean. Help me to remember that You dwell in me and that my body is the santuary of the Holy Spirit that lives in me. Amen.
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xx Karen.