ENVELOPED BY GOD'S PRESENCE

 Our text is from Exodus 40 vs 34-38. This passage describes deeply how God cared for the Israelites when they left Egypt.

God was very intentional that he wanted them to be aware of and confident in the love he had for them. God's presence was a cloud to the Israelites in the day time and fire to them at night. God's presence was with them everywhere they went.

Have you ever thought? if God was this intentional about the Israelites, how much more for the new testament believer whom God fully dwells in. Truth is we are not concious of the presence of God in our lives because we don't value the gift of the Holyspirit God has given to us. We've made it an ordinary thing. Value is evident on how much audience you give to the Holyspirit. 

Have you ever imagined what your life would look life if you gave value to the gift of the Holyspirit who is the presence of God in your life. You would understand how much God cares about you when you begin to allow the voice of the Holyspirit prevail in your daily living. 

God has and will always go extra miles to show us how much he loves us, don't get too distracted or carried away with life that you don't notice his love expressions.

BUILD YOUR SPIRITUAL HOUSE

 There is an automatic translation that occurs when we accept Christ into our lives. A believer is different person, a new creation. Hence, there is a value now attached to the believer that's why 1 Peter describes us as precious. When a diamond is discovered, it is cut and modified into something so thats its value would be appreciated. A believer described in this bible passage as a living stone undergoes a process of growth with guidance by the Holyspirit and with consistency those stones put together will become a spiritual house. Christ is the chief corner stone of this building.

When we grow in God, we are able to embrace the priesthood God has called us into, It's also easier to yield and accept God's calling in our lives. We are called to serve in one capacity or the other and this service we render is our sacrifice to God which is pleasing to him. Our service brings others to Christ, helps others to grow spiritually and God is able to love other people through us. When we are saved, we are called to serve and when we don't serve, a lot of people are deprived of the benefits our service would have brought to them. It pleases God when we make ourselves available for service.

A believer is different from the unbeliever, the bible also refers to them as sinners because they have rejected the gift of salvation. The life that a believer has been called into would always be offensive to the unbeliever, knowing this, we are not to conform to the world. It's a privilege to be chosen by God to be his own. The life we've been chosen to live is that of proclamation of the excellencies of God, an exemplary life because just by the way we live people can be moved to change. So, no matter how much offense we face in the world, our response and reactions to them should glorify God (put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all slander- 1 Peter 1 vs 1).