where is god, and who am i?
"Moses did exactly as the Lord had commanded him. On the first day of the first month of the second year the Dwelling was erected." —Exodus 40:16-17
The book of Exodus ends with the erection of the Dwelling by Moses. The Dwelling contained the ark of the covenant, and the ark contained the Ten Commandments (Ex 40:20-21). Here God was present in the most powerful way on earth. "In the daytime the cloud of the Lord was seen over the Dwelling; whereas at night, fire was seen in the cloud" (Ex 40:38). "The glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling" (Ex 40:34).
In the new covenant, it is amazing but true that the Dwelling of God is not only among us, but it is us. We who are baptized into Jesus have become the Dwelling of God. We are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). The Holy Trinity lives in us. God is in us and we in Him (see Jn 17:23).
Does your life indicate that you realize you are the Dwelling of God? "Test yourselves to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you" (2 Cor 13:5). You are a living, walking, loving tabernacle. Be pure as Jesus is pure (1 Jn 3:3).
Prayer: Father, cleanse me of evil things so that I "may be a distinguished vessel, dedicated and useful to the master of the house and ready for every noble service" (2 Tm 2:21).
Promise: "Every scribe who is learned in the reign of God is like the head of a household who can bring from his storeroom both the new and the old." —Mt 13:52
Praise: Joanne makes a habit to be extra kind to store clerks, servers, and those in the world whom many overlook.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet Who Am I In Christ? or our four-part series of audio tapes starting with AV 7A-1 or our two-part video series starting with V-7A.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 1, 2011
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