Last week, I admonished us to stay alive in Christ Jesus by not departing from Him. The two examples I gave of the ladies who walked away from the Lord confirm the Scriptures that there is a sin that leads to spiritual death (1 John 5:16). We also saw that if one was once enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, partook of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, that person cannot be restored to salvation if they fall away (Hebrews 6:4-6). Their destiny is the lake of fire.
Having said that, it is imperative to state that we were not born again just to escape hell’s fire; God saved us to have relationship with Him and live with Him forever. This was His intent for man from the beginning of creation.
In Genesis 3:8, we see God walking in the Garden of Eden, looking for Adam and Eve. It seems like God coming down to fellowship with man was the norm. Many years after the Fall, God instructed Moses saying, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). When Jesus came down to earth from heaven, it was said of Him, “And the Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When Jesus walked the earth, it was the beginning of the fulfilment of God’s longing to dwell with man.
The fulfilment of God’s desire to dwell with man was prophetically revealed to John the Apostle: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:1-3).
God loves us so much. He delights in spending time with us. Since access to Him is now readily available, let us take advantage of it; let us boldly approach His throne (Hebrews 4:16). We need to stop wasting time in futile endeavors and start spending as much time as we can with God. Dwelling with us has been God’s top priority since creation; it should be ours too if we really love Him. He saved us, not just to escape hell, but to actually live with Him. I pray that you and I shall get more and more acquainted with fellowshipping with God. The benefits of doing so are countless in this lifetime and many more await us in the age to come.
God bless you.