God showed me something incredible about us!

I've been studying in Exodus lately and had gotten to the part where they're making the tabernacle or basically their traveling temple lol This morning, I commented to the Lord that while I'd enjoyed the study and did learn some interesting things, I felt as though I hadn't really learned anything that was really important to me. In earlier chapters I'd seen tons of things that applied to us and that was important, but in these, well, I just really didn't.... know what I mean? I"m talking about Exodus 35-40 mainly. I asked Him if I was missing something and of course I was and of course, He then began to show me. He first told me to go back to when it starts which is when Moses has to go back up the mountain for another 40 days to get another copy of the 10 commandments and hear the rest of the instructions. (chapter 32)

So I went back and the first thing that caught my attention was again how Moses was upset that the Lord had told him that because of Israel's idolatry with the calf, that He would no longer go with them, He'd just send an angel instead. I'm sure we're all quite familiar with these verses but I'll post them so we're all on the same page:

Exodus 33:15–16 —Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. *How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Remember, up till then the Lord had been leading them in a way that everyone could see ever since they left Egypt.

Exodus 13:21–22 —By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. *Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
This was the "cloud" that sat atop Mt Sinai now, that Moses walked into to speak with the Lord and that the Lord told the people that no one else could come on the mountain while He was there. And the glory of God surrounding him like that is what caused Moses' face to glow so that he had to wear a veil to cover it.

OK, so Moses is wanting God to continue to lead them in such a way that the rest of the world will know without a doubt that they've been chosen by Him; that they're different, special and set apart by God. Moses was saying to God that if He didn't go with them like this, the rest of the world would have no way of telling that they were different and because of that, God wouldn't receive the glory He should from all He'd done for them. They might as well be children making up fanciful tales otherwise. Because God was pleased with Moses, He agreed to continue to go with them which was a great relief to all!

The Lord reminded me that just as His presence went with them, it also goes with us all the time from the moment we're saved! This is what sets us apart from the rest of the world too! It's what makes us special, and different from the rest of the world.

Of course I had to say, "but Your Presence with us isn't visible like it was with them!" He reminded me though, that His visible presence wasn't always with them either, but had only been there during that critical beginning. After that, they had His laws, the way He'd told them to worship Him, etc well established in their lives which set them apart from the rest of the world just as much as His visible presence had before. Plus of course they had their prophets, judges, miracles etc which helped as well. God had also commanded them to tell the children of each generation all about this so they would know it so well it would be as though they'd seen it themselves. So their very lifestyle, attitudes, worldview, set them far apart from the rest of the world and made them quite different. (and still does!)

Unfortunately, they got an important part of it wrong. Instead of all they were taught causing them to realize their sinfulness and need of a Savior, they got caught up in the outward actions of obeying laws and rituals becoming proud, forgetting that there was a living God behind it all. They became snobs and instead of being a light to the rest of the world, they wanted nothing to do with anyone else and purposely isolated themselves. Because of that, the nation as a whole rejected Jesus when He came and the rest of the world was given the opportunity to Know the Lord and take over the job that had originally been given to Israel - to be His representative and a light to all.

OK, so what's so great about all this? At the exact second that we were saved, the Presence of God came to dwell within us! I know, we hear that all the time; no big deal. But wait, it really IS a big deal and I'd like to share some reason why it is that relates to all the above. Remember how Moses' face glowed after he'd been with the Lord? Do you know why it did? Was it just because He'd been in God's presence? Well, yes, and no. If we examine the life of Moses from birth to now, we see that he very obviously had grown spiritually a great deal during all this time. By the time they got to Sinai, Moses already had established a very close personal relationship with God. The bible calls Moses, "God's friend" and that's amazing! Because he loved God and was so close to Him, God's glory shined out of him too. See, Moses didn't have to go up into the cloud to talk to the Lord. He talked to God all the time anyway! God had already told Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) back when Moses asked him to continue to lead them all. So the glow was simply the spirit of God kind of "leaking" through for all to see. (sorry, lol, couldn't think of a better way to say that)

Now, the words "My Presence" in that verse is the word that's used for "Spirit" or "Holy Spirit" or "Spirit of the Lord" or "Spirit of God" etc. in other verses in both the old and new testament. At salvation, God's Presence, His Spirit, comes to dwell in us as He will never leave us! Jesus told us that the reason for this was so He could teach us, guide us, protect us, comfort us, etc. Jesus told His disciples that they need not feel bereft when He left, because when He left the earth physically, they would have something even better! Up till then, He Himself had taught them, guided them, protected them, and comforted them etc. but then they would have His Spirit dwelling within them who would continue to do all that for them! What is the purpose of the Spirit dwelling in us though, besides doing all the things just mentioned of course? Yes, He is our guarantee of eternal life, but there's still more. He sets us apart from the rest of the world just as God's presence set Israel apart from the rest of the world!

As we grow in our faith, God's presence in our lives become more and more obvious to the people around us. The more obvious it becomes, the more it sets us apart from others who don't have Him in their lives. The closer we get to the Lord, the more we quite literally reflect His glory to the rest of the world. We are transformed into the likeness of Jesus - not so we look like He did physically, but so that our lives reflect His life, His glory, just as Moses's life reflected God's glory so much so his face actually glowed. Eventually, we will be given our new bodies which will shine with glory just as Jesus's did at the Transfiguration. Remember who was with Jesus then? Moses and Elijah! The two men who had such close relationships with God that they were like His friends...they "walked" with Him. What a wonderful way to be!

Have you ever had someone tell you that you "glowed" somehow? Or that they could see Jesus in you? I'm sure many of you have heard that! What wonderful compliments, but oh how I'd love to hear that from the Lord Himself! I want to truly be so close to Him, that I really will glow from within!

We have the spirit of God in us right now and He's not in us just to go along for the ride. The more active we allow Him to be in our lives, the more it's going to show in our lives and possibly, eventually even in our bodies themselves. The more it shows, the more it sets us apart from the rest of the world, announcing to everyone that we are different; we're set apart from everyone else by God; we're special. We have to be careful not to fall into the sin of pride like Israel did because of that though and remember that part of the purpose of setting us apart is so that we can invite others to join us! 

His presence goes with us in an even more personal and special way then it did with them, for He literally dwells within us. That is just so amazing and yet we rarely think about the ramifications of it and what all it means. God teaches us in the OT when He's teaching about clean and unclean, that if something holy touches something that's unclean, His Holiness makes the unclean thing (or person) clean. It changes it completely and forever. For example, in the story about when the ark was returned to Israel after being captured, they couldn't use the cows that pulled the cart that had the ark on it for anything else. The ark touched the cart making it holy, which touched the cows making them holy. They then couldn't allow the cows to be seen as ordinary anymore or let them touch anything else and make yet more things holy, so they used the cows as sacrifices to God.

You see, God not only taught them that if His holiness touched something it made that thing clean and Holy, but that anything that was considered holy, could no longer be used or considered as "normal" or "regular". Instead it had to be cared for in very specific ways which included a great deal of respect and awe, and could never be used again as it had been.

Back then the Holy Spirit never stayed or dwelled within in a person. He simply would touch a person to inspire them to do the task before them and leave. But now, He actually dwells within us. God Himself dwells within each one of us! How amazing is that????

Yet, we treat ourselves and each other as though nothing is different then it was before we were saved. As though we're not really any different then we were before. Oh sure, we'll say we've been born again and all that, but we don't treat ourselves or each other differently because of it. We don't, because we can't physically see the change that happened with the Holy Spirit came into us. Nor can we actually see Him. But the Lord teaches in the OT that there was no outward change in things that were made Holy when His holiness touched them. They didn't suddenly start to glow, (well at least most didn't lol) get bigger, or more beautiful, etc. Those cows, and that cart, didn't look any different then they did when they were hauling hay the day before. But boy were they treated differently because the Israelites knew that there had in fact been a change in them, whether or not it could be seen.

This is the glorious Truth of what's happened to each of us who've been saved, and yet for the most part, we seem oblivious to it. For the most part we continue to use these bodies in which God Himself is dwelling with us, the same way we did before! Isn't it amazing? That's why Paul urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. It's really absolutely amazing when you spend time and reflect on it all with Him.
 
Here's some verses you can check out if you'd like:
1 Cor 6:19 —Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

2 Cor 13:14 —May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Cor 3:18 —And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:4–5 —As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— *you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. *

2 Corinthians 6:16 —What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” *
Luke 9:29–32 —As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. *Two men, Moses and Elijah, *appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. *Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. *
Exodus 33:11 —The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. *

Exodus 34:29–30 —When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. *When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. *

Genesis 5:22–24 —And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. *Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. *Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. *