House of God
Scripture Reading — Genesis 28:10-22
“This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
—Genesis 28:17
Jacob had a very powerful dream that was a vision from God. When he awoke, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” This gives us insight into something that continues to happen today; we can be in the presence of God and not be aware of him. For example, in a church service one person can experience a deep connection with God, while another person in the same service might not sense a connection at all.
Jacob commented further on his encounter with God by saying, “This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” What did he mean by that? Was there a building present? No. Were there people present? No. Jacob’s revelation was that the house of God was where God was present.
Years later, the apostle John spoke of Jesus as bringing the presence of God: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus became God’s dwelling place on earth, and that opened the way for God to live in us later through his Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:4, 33, 38). The apostle Paul explained: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
The house of God is where God comes to live and bring new life in and among us. He wants to make our hearts his home. Does he live in you?
Father, may your kingdom come, and may your will be done in and through us as you live in us, your people. Amen.
About the author — John Kuperus
Since he was young, John Kuperus has had a passion that everyone would know Jesus. Spreading the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) is very important to him. To be better equipped for missions, John attended Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He applied these skills with marketplace evangelism in a business he started in Sussex, New Jersey. This calling continued to follow him, so John attended seminary and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, serving a church in Ontario for eight years. Currently he serves as a missionary for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He witnesses Jesus changing lives as people walk out of the darkness into the light. John is married to Helen, and they have seven children.
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