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Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:16–17
D.L. MOODY
When people come into the house of God, they put on a sober appearance. They act as if there was something very strange about the house of God.
I would not say a word to detract from the holiness of the house of God. But let us bear in mind that every place ought to be holy to a child of God; in every place we ought to be true to God. We ought to be as true to Him in our place of business as we are in the church. When Jacob said, “This is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven,” he was under the canopy of high heaven. That was where God met him; but God will meet us in the street as well as in the place of worship. He will meet us at home. He is also with us in our closets.
Every place is holy because God is there. Putting on another air and a sanctimonious look when we come into the house of God, and laying it aside when we go out, thinking that this is going to be acceptable to God, is all wrong. Every place ought to be holy to a true child of God.
ERWIN LUTZER
God says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). But this is not just a “sanctimonious look,” as Moody described it. To be holy is to be set apart. The Bible says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). You have to kill sin or sin will kill you.
The fact that God is present everywhere should be a deterrent for willful sin. As Jacob learned, even the wilderness is “the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17). What is revival? It is the manifest presence of God among His people.
PRAYER
Father, like Jacob, make me to be aware of your presence. May I remember you are with me as you were with him.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Where are you tempted to hide from God? Knowing God is present everywhere, how are you challenged to come out from hiding?
How does knowing that God’s presence is not limited to a church building affect the way you live throughout the week?