Exodus 35:1-35


The time had come to build the tabernacle that God had designed and told Moses about.  This would take the cooperation of the entire nation.  There have been very few moments along the way where the children of Israel shine forth, but this was one of them.  When God has a job that needs to be accomplished, He moves in the lives of His people and accomplishes that task through them.  God continues to work in the same way today in our lives to accomplish the tasks to which He has called us.
GOD WORKS IN HIS PEOPLE THROUGH GENEROSITY: The building of the tabernacle would require many contributions from the children of Israel.  The passage makes it very clear that these were voluntary offerings and that they people would give according to the desire of their hearts.  God moved in their hearts and they responded by bringing all the things that were needed.  We must always realize that all of our possessions come to us from God and that they belong to Him.  When we contribute from those things, it is a blessing for us to be able to participate in that which God is doing.  We should give with gladness in our hearts and not out of a sense of obligation of grudgingly.  Today God is doing a work of spreading the fame of Christ to the nations of the world.  He has given us the honor of participating in that work and we should do so with great gladness in our hearts.
GOD WORDS IN HIS PEOPLE THROUGH CAPABILITY: God also equipped the people to do the work that was necessary for the building of the tabernacle.  There was a wide variety of tasks that needed to be accomplished.  The cooperation of all the different skills was essential in completing the task that God had given.  God does not call us to do something without giving us the necessary skills to make it happen.  The task of reaching the world with the Gospel is a huge one, but God has equipped the church with every gift that is necessary to see that work done.  It is up to us to be faithful to use those gifts for His purposes and not for our own.  Unfortunately, we are often tempted to use God’s gifts for our own promotion instead of using them for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom.  We must be thankful for the gifts He has given us and then be faithful to use them for His intended purpose.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more