How do you know God loves you? Like … really know.
One of the best ways is to look at what Jesus did for you on the cross. His unreserved offering of himself for you is powerful proof of his love. But it isn’t the only piece of evidence you have. Like any loving relationship, there are other vantage points from which you can know that he loves you.
Here’s another one: God has decided to make his home with you. Don’t miss the profundity of this. Home is a safe place, it is a place where we feel comfortable, a place where we can put our feet up and be ourselves. This is how God wants it to be with you. You and he at home with each other.
If you look across the biblical story you will notice that God’s plan to dwell with his people is an age-old plan with a somewhat chequered history. It turns out that God’s people haven’t always wanted to be as close to him as he wanted to be to them.
In the Old Testament, after a long period of unfaithfulness, God made the call to remove his presence from the temple and stop dwelling with his people. The prophet Ezekiel records this tragic moment (Ezekiel 10). It was devastating, but it wasn’t the last word. Before Ezekiel was done, he let God’s people know about a time to come where God would return and dwell with his people again:
One of the best ways is to look at what Jesus did for you on the cross. His unreserved offering of himself for you is powerful proof of his love. But it isn’t the only piece of evidence you have. Like any loving relationship, there are other vantage points from which you can know that he loves you.
Here’s another one: God has decided to make his home with you. Don’t miss the profundity of this. Home is a safe place, it is a place where we feel comfortable, a place where we can put our feet up and be ourselves. This is how God wants it to be with you. You and he at home with each other.
If you look across the biblical story you will notice that God’s plan to dwell with his people is an age-old plan with a somewhat chequered history. It turns out that God’s people haven’t always wanted to be as close to him as he wanted to be to them.
In the Old Testament, after a long period of unfaithfulness, God made the call to remove his presence from the temple and stop dwelling with his people. The prophet Ezekiel records this tragic moment (Ezekiel 10). It was devastating, but it wasn’t the last word. Before Ezekiel was done, he let God’s people know about a time to come where God would return and dwell with his people again:
Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.
Ezekiel 43:7
Ezekiel 43:7
God did return to the temple. But not the physical one. He returned to live in you. If you love him, then your heart is the place he calls home. He likes being with you. He really loves you.
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
John 14:23
John 14:23