“They will be my people, and I will be their God.”  

Jeremiah32:38 (NIV)
Isn’t it amazing how the more you love someone the closer you want to get to them?  From the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 3 we can read how God would come down and hang out with Adam and Eve in the garden.  God originally created us to have fellowship with Him and even went so far as to create the perfect place to fellowship with us.  Sin messed that all up.
In the Old Testament, it tells us that God dwelt “among” His people.  There are so many scriptures that talk about it.  All of them say the same thing.  God came to dwell “among” us.  Exodus 25:8 affirms this and then the following section of scripture gives instructions on how to build the Ark of The Covenant.  The Ark was a symbol of God’s presence amongst the people.  The priests were to put the Testimony—the record of God’s laws and promises inside the Ark.
As time passed God desired to come closer in relationship with us.  Jesus came down to earth to live “among” us full-time.  Even that no longer satisfied God’s desire for relationship with us.  He wanted more.  He wanted closer.  In John 16:7 Jesus tells the people that it is better that He goes so that the Counselor, the Holy Spirit could come.  The Holy Spirit came so that God could dwell “in” us!  1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us that we are God’s ‘temple’, His place of fellowship with others and that God’s spirit dwells “in” us.
God desires to grow closer in relationship with you!  Open your heart today.  Spend time with Him reading His Word and listening to His Voice.  Allow the spirit within you to fellowship with Him, and He with YOU!
Father…May you enable us “Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us” to “carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to” us (2 Tm 1:14 NLT).  May we move closer to You as you draw closer to us.  In Jesus Name…Amen.
OT—God dwelt “among” His people
(Genesis 3:8; Exodus 25:8,29:45-46; Leviticus 26:11-12; 1Kings 6:13)
NT—God dwells “in” His people
(2 Timothy 1:14; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:22,3:17)